*SUSAN LOONE’S BLOG*
French newspaper reveals identity of Altantuya’s alleged assassins
The French Liberation newspaper has (correction: will) reveal(ed) intriguing details and updates of the Altantuya Shariibuu case (today - 5 march 2009). The writer Arnaub Dubus (a journalist based in Thailand) has visited Ulanbataar and Kuala Lumpur, and returns with several new information regarding the case. I managed to get the English translation of his story. One compelling paragraph states that:
A report from the Malaysian police, written on 19th november 2006 and which has been kept secret until now, reveals dry and precise descriptions as to how this young woman, a member of Asian high society, has been killed. In this document, one of the killers, a policeman of the Malaysian Special Branch named Sirul Omar, replied to the questions of an officer at a police station close to the murder scene. “When the Chinese woman saw that I was taking a gun, she begged me to spare her, saying she was pregnant. Azilah (the commanding officer of Sirul) grabbed her and [threw] her on the ground. I immediately shot the left side of her face. Then Azilah took off her clothes and put them in a black plastic bag. Azilah noticed that her hand was still moving. He ordered me to shoot again, which I did”, said Sirul. This is the first confirmation of Altantuya’s assassins’ identity. “Then we carried her body into the woods. Azilah wrapped the explosives around her legs, her abdomen and her head, and we exploded her.
Inside is the English Version of the report: The Altantuya Shaaribuu’s Case : How and why she was killed? (First published in Liberation French newspaper, 5th of March 2009):
Shaaribuu Setev is a bitter and disappointed man. Yet behind the saddened face of this Mongolian lies a fierce determination. Seated in a sofa in the lobby of an Ulaan Baataar hotel rattled by gushes of a freezing wind, this sixty years old man is ready to fight. His face features, hardened by the suffering and the stern climate, and his intense gaze tell all. “My daughter has been murdered by Malaysians on Malaysian territory. And they did not have even offer a word of apology,” states this professor of psychology at the National University of Mongolia.
The assassination of his daughter, Altantuya Shaaribuu, took place in October 2006. This was a murder unlike others in a region where business conflicts or petty politics are often settled with a gun. Everything in this case, which started in 2002 when the French Spanish company Armaris concluded the sale of three submarines to the Malaysian government for the amount of one billion Euros, is out of the ordinary.
The impact of the “Altantuya case” in France, Malaysia and Mongolia has yet to reach its climax. The murder of the 28 year old Mongolian was the result of a “commission” at the price of 114 million Euros by Armaris to its Malaysian counterpart. This “commission,” which was acknowledged by the Malaysian government in front of the Parliament in Kuala Lumpur, has triggered a chain of events that has led to the assassination of Altantuya and the disappearance of several key witnesses in the case.
A report from the Malaysian police, written on 19th november 2006 and which has been kept secret until now, reveals dry and precise descriptions as to how this young woman, a member of Asian high society, has been killed. In this document, one of the killers, a policeman of the Malaysian Special Branch named Sirul Omar, replied to the questions of an officer at a police station close to the murder scene. “When the Chinese woman saw that I was taking a gun, she begged me to spare her, saying she was pregnant. Azilah (the commanding officer of Sirul) grabbed her and [threw] her on the ground. I immediately shot the left side of her face. Then Azilah took off her clothes and put them in a black plastic bag. Azilah noticed that her hand was still moving. He ordered me to shoot again, which I did”, said Sirul. This is the first confirmation of Altantuya’s assassins’ identity. “Then we carried her body into the woods. Azilah wrapped the explosives around her legs, her abdomen and her head, and we exploded her.”
The revelation of this report in the French newspaper Liberation is the latest chapter in this colorful and dramatic saga featuring French weapon sellers, Mongolian Shaman, and Malaysian politicians. This case is explosive not only for the Malaysian government, since the deputy Prime minister Najib Razak (who is scheduled to become Prime minister at the end of March) is suspected of having links to the case, but also because it could embarrass the DCNS, this French company specialising in military shipbuilding. The French Spanish company Armaris, which sold two Scorpène and one Agosta submarines to Malaysia in June 2002, was bought by DCNS in 2007.
With her magnetic beauty and sophistication, Altantuya is reminiscent of the troubling image of a Far East Mata Hari. She grew up in Saint Petersburg (Russia), then studied at the Institute of Economic Management in Beijing. Besides speaking English, she is fluent in Russian, Chinese and Korean. The fateful cycle for Altantuya came into gear when she met Abdul Razak Baginda in Hong Kong in 2004. Baginda is a security expert and the director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, a pro-government think tank. The two quickly became romantically involved. Altantuya, nicknamed Tuya by her friends, proved to be a useful assistant, helping Baginda translate from Russian to English.
Whereas Altantuya is young and beautiful, the rich and alluring Baginda is a well known figure of the Kuala Lumpur’s elite, notably because of his proximity to the Malaysian Deputy Prime minister and minister of Defense Najib Razak (he is also his security affairs adviser). Baginda parades in the most exclusive circles of Kuala Lumpur, sometimes accompanied by his legitimate wife.
In March 2005, Altantuya and Baginda departed for Europe, touring France, Germany, Italy and Portugal in the red Ferrari of Baginda, staying in posh hotels and dining in the finest restaurants of the old Continent. This trip, however, was not only for tourism: the contract for the sale of the submarines had been signed in 2002, but important details had yet to be settled. “We knew that Baginda was used by Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak as an intermediary for weapons systems deals, especially the high level ones,” says a regional security affairs expert.
At the end of March 2005 the couple was in Paris, where they met with Najib Razak. A picture shows the threesome in a Parisian private club. “Tuya showed me the pix. She said that one of the men was her boyfriend, Abdul Razak Baginda, and the other the “big boss”, Najib Razak. I asked her if they were brothers because of the names, but she said no, and that Najib Razak was the ‘prime minister’”, said Amy, Altantuya’s best friend (Najib Razak has sworn on the Koran that he has never met Altantuya). According to a private detective, now in hiding in India, the beautiful Tuya was also the occasional mistress of the deputy Prime minister, who was introduced to her by Baginda at the end of 2004.
The story became dramatic when, in October 2006, Altantuya was informed that the commission paid by the French-Spanish company Armaris had arrived on a Kuala Lumpur bank account. It had been paid to Perimekar, a company owned by Baginda. Altantuya rushed to Kuala Lumpur, in order to claim her share of the commission from Baginda ; she said she was entitled to 500,000 dollars. Baginda and Altantuya broke up prior to this. A jealous Rosmah Mansor, the feared businesswoman and wife of Najib Razak, objected any payment to Altantuya. Altantuya arrived in Kuala Lumpur with two other Mongolian women, one of them was a Shaman responsible for putting a spell on Baginda if he refused to pay. For several days, Altantuya harassed her ex-lover.
On the 18th of October, Baginda could no longer tolerate the daily scenes made by Altantuya in front of his house. He contacted the Director of the Special Branch, Musa Safrie, who happened to also be Najib Razak’s aide de camp. On October 19th, 2006, a little before 9 pm, two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah Hadridan and Sirul Omar, were sent in front of Baginda’s house where Altantuya was gesticulating and shouting. They had the order of “neutralizing the Chinese woman.” They kidnapped her, and drove her ten kilometers away and shot her several times. Then, they destroyed her body with C 4 explosives, a type which can only be obtained from within the Defense Ministry. Her entry into Malaysia was erased from the immigration records. It would appear that Altantuya had never come to Malaysia, because there is no trace left of her.
There is no perfect crime. The taxi driver hired by Altantuya for the day did not appreciate that his passenger was kidnapped under his eyes without payment for the fare. He took note of the registration plate of the kidnapper’s car and filed a complaint at the local police station. In a few days, the police identified the car and realized that it was a government vehicle.
Events unfolded that even the Deputy Prime minister Najib Razak could not impede. He tried to cover the case. A few hours before the arrest of Baginda, he sent him a SMS : “I will see the Inspector General of Police at 11 am today… The problem will be solved. Be cool”. A few hours after, Baginda was arrested as well as the two police officers of the Special Branch, Azilah and Sirul.
After a trial considered dubious by many observers, Baginda was acquitted with the accusation of having ordered the murder and released in November 2008. Accused of having perpetrated the murder, Azilah and Sirul appeared in front of the Court last month. If convicted, their sentence is death. The verdict is scheduled for the 9th of April.
Thousands of miles from there, in the Mongolian capital city Ulaan Baataar, Shaaribuu Setev, Altantuya’s father, is trying to control his anger. To him and his family, the acquittal and release of Baginda is symbolic of the unfairness of the Malaysian judicial process: “The Malaysian government is not even answering to the letters from the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Ministry,” he says.
When Shaaribuu came to the Malaysian parliament to meet Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime minister had to escape through a back door in order to avoid an embarrassing encounter. The Altantuya case has become a key element of the Malaysian political game between Najib Razak (who is expected to become Prime Minister after the United Malay Nation Organisation (UMNO) Congress in March) and the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. So far, Najib Razak has navigated around the obstacles, but the murder of the young Mongolian remains a sword suspended over his head.
One of the most obscure aspects of the Altantuya case is the role of the Armaris company. In October 2007, the Malaysian Deputy Defense minister, Zainal Abdidin Zin, acknowledged in front of the Parliament that Armaris had effectively paid 114 million Euros in commission to Perimekar. He maintained that it was not a bribe, but a payment for “support and coordination services.”
Was there corruption as in the case of the Taiwanese frigates in which the French DCNS was also implicated ? DCNS, a private company with public financing, has declined our request for a meeting. “Nobody can comment on this case,” was the sober reply of the DCNS Press relations officer in Paris. A document, which could establish a link between Altantuya and the French company is the guarantee letter written by Abdul Razak Baginda so that his mistress could obtain a visa to enter the Schengen zone (of whom France is a member country). The French embassy could not refuse this service to a man decorated with the Legion d’Honneur. But the role of Altantuya in the submarines negotiations is still not clear. Intelligence agencies find her background intriguing and the Russian FSB (ex-KGB) is following closely the case.
In Ulaan Baataar, Mungunshagai, the eldest son of Altantuya, who is 12 years old, is traumatized by the death of his mother. Altanshagai, the youngest, who is five years old and mentally handicapped, has not understood that he will never see again his mother. “He is asking for her all the time and is staying the whole day prostrated on his chair. Every evening, I bring him sweets and I tell him that his mother gave it to me for him”, says Shaaribuu Setev, the grandfather of the two boys. As for Baginda, he settled down in the United Kingdom with his family. He never uttered a word of regret on the deadly fate of the one who shared his life for two years.
Arnaud Dubus (in Kuala Lumpur, Ulaan Baataar and Paris)
March 4, 2009 at 11:42 pm
So…she WAS pregnant….by Baginda, Najib or others…..there is no perfect crime…..it never was…..it has een messy from Day One. The Malaysian public, castrated as they are, will only grumble in private…..but perhaps the French can fix this….Thanks A Million Arnaud ….
March 4, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Justice must be prevail!
March 4, 2009 at 11:52 pm
wat the fxxx,the real murderer still at large n goin to b next PM..
March 5, 2009 at 12:06 am
wow, this news came out earlier that the one RPK is about to reveal. perhaps will be d same news?
March 5, 2009 at 12:07 am
What sort of animals were these murderers…they are still going around doing their dirty business unaffected. Must be real professional killers!
Pity, we may never find answer.
March 5, 2009 at 12:07 am
4/3/09
Usually crime doesn’t pay but here, crime does pay not only this case but many other cases especially those drugs syndicates members who are very highly educated and first class masterminds, get away and they are so rich and powerful, the police are under their payrolls.
March 5, 2009 at 12:13 am
whoa! what an explosive comeback you made, susan. this is indeed very interesting juicy news.
well many people had already suspected that altantuya was pregnant when she was killed. there had also been a lot of interesting heresay on what happened to altantuya between the 2 policeman and also between najib’s wife - these heresay most people dare not speak up or blog about it (might get hauled up by the police like RPK!).
if only the french paper has the photo of the dinner altantuya had with baginda and najib in paris. or the photo (or any evidence) of altantuya together with najib in some kind of conference in singapore - remember that? i remember reading about that.
March 5, 2009 at 12:20 am
Goooood! Now the pressure will mount.
How could they shoot someone who is pregnant? Only animals do that.
March 5, 2009 at 12:20 am
“Inside is an English Version of the report: The Altantuya Shaaribuu’s Case : How and why she was killed? (First published in Liberation French newspaper, 5th of March 2009):”
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Its 6:20pm in Paris 4th March 2009 now. Are you sure the above date you mentioned is correct?
March 5, 2009 at 12:22 am
Am Truly shocked, perturbed and disgusted!
That s all I can say for now!
March 5, 2009 at 12:25 am
I googled “Arnaub Dubus”. Got nothing. You sure he is a journalist?
Oh there is a Arnaud Dubus working in Thailand.
http://www.geocities.com/arnauddubus/
http://www.liberation.fr/
Above is link to the newspaper. Could not find the article. i just searched in Monde.
March 5, 2009 at 12:35 am
french newspaper reveals identity of altantuya’s alleged assassins…
that heading came from famous blogger, susan loone. explosive exciting post from susan on the altantuya case! hop over to her blog at once to read.
excerpt from her first paragraph:
The French Liberation newspaper has revealed intriguing det…
March 5, 2009 at 12:53 am
Miss Susan,
can u pass the link to the original article as I cannot found the article on the net,the Liberation French website is quite hard to navigate without the knowledge in their native tongue
March 5, 2009 at 12:57 am
WILL FULL JUSTICE BE EXECUTED?
All those who get to read about the facts and not fiction
Will end all speculations and draw their own conclusions
Knowing too well also that the ultimate legal decisions
May not be fully up to the expected public satisfaction
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 050309
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Thur. 5th Mar. 2009.
March 5, 2009 at 1:00 am
Oh my bloody goodness!!!
March 5, 2009 at 1:02 am
hopefully its okay to you,if i spread the news around a bit.
great article
March 5, 2009 at 1:16 am
To the perpetrators of this heinous crime, be aware that Allah swt has never blinked an eye on what you have so cruelly done, and the swiftest of judgement shall He bestow upon you for your sins. Admit your wrongs and repent before that coming of judgement, and pray that you are not blind and blinded for seeking His wrath…
March 5, 2009 at 1:19 am
Dear Susan.. We can blog until the cow come home..there will be no answer to this question..Mr c4 is just too powerfull with his RM