FORMER Malaysian police officer Sirul Azhar Umar should not be given a full pardon in exchange for testimony on the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case, a lawyer said today.

Sirul, who is detained in Australia, said he is willing to assist in the investigations into the murder of the Mongolian model in 2006 by revealing “what actually transpired”, provided the new government granted him a full pardon.

“(The offer) is downright insulting to her memory and ought not to be entertained at all,” said Ramkarpal Singh, who is also Bukit Gelugor MP.

“There is absolutely no hint of remorse from Sirul, particularly when the murder was committed in such a heinous manner,” he said, adding that Sirul has claimed he had killed others under instructions.

Ramkarpal said it was “unlikely” that Sirul has any knowledge of what transpired on the night of the murder, saying evidence from the 2009 murder trial indicated that (another former police officer) Azilah Hadri played a bigger role.

Both Sirul and Azilah were sentenced to the gallows for Altantuya’s murder.

Ramkarpal added that potential future witnesses for an inquiry of a retrial should include former police officer Musa Safri, who was not called by the prosecution and Abdul Razak Baginda, who did not testify. 

“In the circumstances, it is likely that Sirul’s knowledge, if any, is merely hearsay and based only on what he was told by Azilah.”

Rampkarpal said the best the government could offer was to commute Sirul’s death sentence in 2009 to life imprisonment at Kajang prison.

Once Sirul is back on home soil, he would be compelled to cooperate with police investigations or a royal commission of inquiry and if necessary, appear as a witness against those who ordered Altantuya’s murder.

“The fact remains that Sirul and Azilah murdered Altantuya in the most grotesque of circumstances,” Ramkarpal said. 

“As such, Sirul is certainly in no position to bargain his way out of paying for such a tragedy and he must be deported to Malaysia in the manner suggested above.”

Sirul fled to Australia just before the Federal Court convicted him and Azilah of Altantuya’s murder in 2015. Australia will likely not extradite Sirul, currently detained by immigration authorities, as it opposes the death penalty. – May 20, 2018.