THE Shah Alam High Court today struck out a civil suit by murdered Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu’s family against the Malaysian government.

The RM100 million suit, which was first filed in June 2007, had named the government as the fourth defendant. 

“I wish to announce that the Shah Alam High Court judge Ahmad Nasfy Yasin today allowed with costs an application by the government of Malaysia to strike out the civil suit filed against it by Shaariibuu Setev and three others in relation to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu,” said the family’s lawyer, Ramkarpal Singh.

He said Setev, who is Altantuya’s father, and the other plaintiffs – the victim’s mother and her two sons – in the suit strongly opposed the high court’s decision, and would file an appeal.

“The high court’s decision that the civil suit against the government did not disclose a reasonable cause of action is most disappointing.

“As such, we will proceed to file an appeal against the said decision to the Court of Appeal on behalf of the family of Altantuya as, while we respect the said high court decision, we cannot agree with the same,” Ramkarpal said in a statement. 

He said the court had fixed November 23 for mention, pending the proposed appeal.

“It should be further noted that the plaintiffs’ suit against (the other three defendants) Sirul Azhar Umar, Azilah Hadri and Abdul Razak Baginda remains unaffected by this decision and will proceed after the disposal of the said proposed appeal.”

Altantuya was killed in October 2006 and the body blown up with C-4 explosives in Shah Alam.

The plaintiffs had argued that the government was liable as the employer of Altantuya’s killers.

Former policemen Sirul and Azilah are both convicted of Altantuya’s murder. They were sentenced to death in 2015. 

Sirul did not turn up in court for the sentencing. He is now held at an Australian detention centre while Azilah is on death row at Kajang prison.

Razak, a political analyst who was said to be Altantuya’s lover, was charged with abetment in the murder but was freed. – August 23, 2017.