Allegedly, there is a photograph showing Altantuya, Razak and Najib and it could not be published as it is still a disputed document.
Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak reiterated today that he has never met Altantuya Shaariibuu, denying the court testimony by the murdered Mongolian model’s cousin.
“That is slander. Lies. I never met her,” he was reported saying by Malaysiakini at Cameron Highlands today.
He was asked to respond to Altantuya’s first cousin Burmaa Oyunchimeg’s testimony at the Shah Alam High Court that Altantuya showed her a photo of herself, her lover Abdul Razak Baginda and a deputy prime minister named ‘Razak’.
Najib also pointed out that he had previously sworn in a mosque about the matter.
Altantuya was brutally murdered in the jungles of Puncak Alam, Shah Alam, with a shot to the head before her body was blown up with explosives in 2006.
Abdul Razak was a political analyst and had headed a think tank called the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre based in Kuala Lumpur previously.
He was also an adviser to Najib when the latter was defence minister (2000 to 2008) and deputy prime minister (between January 2004 and April 2009) before taking over as prime minister from April 3, 2009, to May last year.
Najib has repeatedly denied knowing model-turned-translator Altantuya or that he was involved in her death.
Altantuya’s parents Shaariibuu Setev and Altantsetseg Sanjaa, and Altantuya’s two sons had on June 4, 2007, filed the civil lawsuit to claim compensation for the mental shock and psychological trauma they suffered over her death.
However, one of Altantuya’s two sons, 15-year-old Alatanshagai Munkhtukga, was removed as a plaintiff when he passed away in 2017.
In the lawsuit where Altantuya’s family is seeking RM100 million as compensation, Sirul Azhar Umar, Azilah Hadri, Abdul Razak and the government of Malaysia were named as defendants.
Sirul and Azilah were convicted by the High Court in 2009 of killing Altantuya. They succeeded in overturning their conviction at the Court of Appeal in 2013, but the Federal Court in 2015 restored their conviction and sentenced them to death.
Abdul Razak was acquitted of abetting the two former police officers in her murder.
Sirul fled to Australia after the Court of Appeal ruling and is now under detention there as Australian laws do not allow extraditions to a country with the death penalty. Azilah is on death row here.
The motive for Altantuya’s murder was never revealed during the trial.
Testifying as the first witness in the family’s civil lawsuit against the Malaysian government, Burmaa said Altantuya showed photographs of her trip to Paris with Abdul Razak after she flew back to Mongolia following a trip to Singapore in March 2005.
“I remember I saw a picture of three people, two men and Altantuya. I asked her who they were, and she said one was the deputy prime minister and the other was Razak who worked with him and do business together.
“I asked her if they were brothers because of the same name. She said no but they were best friends, business partners and worked together,” she told the High Court.
When shown a photo of Najib being flanked by Abdul Razak and a woman at a table, Burmaa said the woman in the photo was not Altantuya.
“I want to say that this is exactly the picture she showed me but the girl in this copy is not Altantuya. That one I saw had her in it,” she said when the photo was shown in court.
The photo shown was published by PKR’s vice-president Chua Tian Chang who later admitted to doctoring it in 2007.
The photograph showing Altantuya, Razak and Najib could not be published as it is still a disputed document.
Burmaa first raised seeing Najib in a photo with Razak and Altantuya during the latter’s murder trial in 2007.
Burmaa also told the court that Altantuya had confided that Abdul Razak had hired people to threaten and frighten her prior to her cousin’s disappearance.
She said Altantuya travelled to Malaysia in October 2006 to collect due payment from Abdul Razak for translation services she had provided in a business deal in Europe.
“She said she was not going to be frightened because she came to get what she was entitled to.
“I also thought Razak was a nice person so I didn’t think much of it that time. I found out later when I was in Malaysia that she lodged a police report about this,” she said.
In the 2007 murder trial, it was revealed that Altantuya had sought US$500,000 from Razak Baginda while causing a commotion outside his house.
This occurred two days before she was killed.
Razak Baginda had admitted to having an affair with Altantuya, which began in 2004.
In her testimony today, Burmaa said she first learned about the affair between Altantuya and Razak Baginda in late 2004 when the couple came to Hong Kong where she was staying at the time.
In her testimony today, Burmaa said she first learned about the affair between Altantuya and Razak Baginda in late 2004 when the couple came to Hong Kong where she was staying at the time.
Razak Baginda was there on a business trip, she said.
She then met the duo again on two separate occasions in Shanghai and Singapore in early 2005.
“This (trip to Singapore in March) was after their trip to Europe. They both told me they had a fun trip in Paris.
“Again, he paid for everything, my flight (to Singapore), accommodation, meals, and shopping,” Burmaa said.
She said Razak Baginda also cared deeply for Altantuya.
This was detailed when Burmaa spoke about how Razak Baginda would call her to inform that he had transferred money to Altantuya.
“This happened quite a few times. He told me he really cared about her and he knew about her disabled son and really wanted to help her financially,” she said.
However, the relationship soured in 2006.
In her testimony today, Burmaa said Altantuya told her that Abdul Razak had refused to see her when she was in Malaysia even after trying several times at his house and office.
Asked how she came to know about Altantuya’s disappearance, Burmaa said Namiraa Gerelmaa had called her from a hotel in Malaysia that Altantuya had not returned after she had gone alone to Razak’s house on October 19, 2006.
“Namiraa called and asked me what to do. I advised her that if Altantuya did not return after an hour she should go to a police station and lodge a report,” she said.
Burmaa said the last time she met Altantuya was in Hong Kong in August 2006 when she came to visit her for two nights.
“She told me she was going to Malaysia to visit Razak and sometime after Altantuya’s August trip, Razak SMS-ed me that he did not want to see her again.
“Altantuya said it was a small misunderstanding and told me not to reply him. I lost my phone after and Razak did not contact me again,” she said.
Burmaa had earlier told the court she is currently employed as a sales associate at US department store Macy’s in Chicago, Illinois. where she currently lives.
Also present were Abdul Razak’s lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon and senior federal counsel Norinna Bahadun for the government.
The hearing resumes tomorrow morning with the cross-examination of Burmaa, followed by Altantuya’s father Shaariibuu Setev who is expected to take the witness stand.
The suit was first filed in 2007, a year after Altantuya’s death.