‘I did not know what role Razak played in murder’

(NST) PETALING JAYA: Abdul Razak Baginda instigated two police officers to kill Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu, a police officer told the Sessions Court yesterday.

Superintendent Gan Tack Guan said this when agreeing to a suggestion by Raja Petra Kamarudin's defence counsel Gobind Singh Deo.

However, he was quick to add that he agreed only if "instigate" meant abetting, as stated in section 107 of the Penal Code.

When pressed further, Gan repeatedly said he did not know how or what role Razak played in the murder.

Gan also avoided answering several questions by either saying "can't remember" or "I don't understand the question".

However, Gan disagreed with Gobind that Razak had paid Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar to kill Altantuya and that he (Gan) was deliberately concealing material facts.

(Azilah and Sirul, both members of the Special Action Squad, are alleged to have murdered the 28-year-old Mongolian woman between 10pm on Oct 19, 2006, and 11am the next day in Bukit Raja. Their trial continues on Feb 16.

(Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda was initially charged with abetting Sirul and Azilah in murdering Altantuya but was freed by the Shah Alam High Court on Oct 31 last year without his defence being called).

Gan was testifying at the trial of blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin who is charged with posting a seditious article. titled "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell", on his website.

The offence was allegedly committed at his house in Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh, on April 25. The article also implicated Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, in Altantuya's murder.

Gan, who is now head of Interpol at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, is the fifth prosecution witness. He is also the complainant in this case.

Gobind: Do you agree that at the Altantuya murder trial in Shah Alam, a Mongolian woman Uuriintuya Gal-Ochir, who was a witness, said there were no Immigration records of them (Uuriintuya and Altantuya) coming to Malaysia from Beijing.

Gan: Yes.

Gobind: Do you agree that you did not conduct an investigation on this point?

Gan: I cannot remember when the witness testified in court but I do have the entry records of Altantuya.

Gobind: Did you or your officers take any statement from officials of the Malaysian embassies in Mongolia, France, Britain and China at any point of time?

Gan: No.

Gan also agreed that the police team did not investigate the allegations that there was a letter from the deputy prime minister in support of Altantuya's visa applications.

He further agreed that although no investigation was carried out on this matter, he lodged a police report on the assumption that the article was seditious.

Gan disagreed when Gobind said that he was lying in court.

Hearing before judge Rozina Ayob was adjourned to April 23 and 24.