PETALING JAYA: The acquittal of the two former police commandos, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, convicted of killing the Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribuu by the Court of Appeal draws an immediate response from head of the DAP’s legal bureau Gobind Singh Deo.
He called on the government to set up an independent inquiry to review the prosecution team’s conduct in the murder trial of yesterday
The Puchong MP was reported by the Malay Mail to have said that he had concerns about the negative perception he claimed was looming over the Attorney-General as a result of the case.
“Many questions have arisen. Of the most serious is concern over whether or not there had been proper investigations and a proper presentation of evidence in court.
”There must be an independent inquiry, by people who are not associated with the AG’s chambers to review the investigation papers and to report back as to the propriety of the conduct of the prosecution in this case,” he said.
Gobind said the public should always have full confidence in the AG’s chambers and that his demand for an independent inquiry was made in consideration of and in keeping with that.
“We cannot allow these concerns to go unanswered,” the lawyer said.
“The AG must explain why is it they failed to call material witnesses in support of their case in this prosecution.
“It is difficult to comprehend how it is the AG and his chambers, with the vast experience they have, could have omitted to call all these witnesses necessary to prove the case, resulting in the Court of Appeal finding it unsafe for a conviction against Sirul and Azilah to stand,” Gobind told The Malay Mail Online.
“We have repeatedly, time and time again, demanded that the AG adduce evidence of motive and also who instructed the killing but the AG has failed to respond.
“Now he must explain,” Gobind said, pressing the AG to appeal against yesterday’s court ruling
Azilah and Sirul will be released from Sungai Buloh Prison once documentation is complete.
The prosecution led by Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah said it will appeal yesterday’s decision. Meanwhile other PR lawmakers also demanded that the AGexplain how his prosecutors allowed the two former police commandos to go free.