Raja Petra Kamaruddin
KUALA LUMPUR: The admission by Malaysia Today blogsite operator Raja Petra Kamaruddin on an attempt to implicate the prime minister and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu’s murder is said to have clearly indicated who the “chief conspirator” really was.
Anuar Shaari, former private secretary to PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said it clearly showed who had actually conspired to implicate Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife in the murder.
“Raja Petra has exposed the individuals who had associations with an opposition leader, said to be the one behind the conspiracy so as to prevent Najib from becoming prime minister,” he said to Bernama yesterday.
In Wednesday night’s TV3 news broadcast, Raja Petra revealed that his statutory statement made in 2008 which linked Najib to Altantuya’s murder in 2006 was based on information and goading from certain individuals who did not wish to see Najib, who was then deputy prime minister, become prime minister.
Raja Petra said he himself had not accused Najib or Rosmah of being involved in the Mongolian woman’s murder and he no longer believed the stories of the individuals said to associate with several political leaders including Anwar.
Anuar said Raja Petra’s admission was shocking and he believed that the opposition leader would not dare file a defamation suit against Raja Petra.
During the interview by TV3 group editor Datuk Ashraf Abdullah in Perth, Australia recently, Raja Petra said he had never accused the prime minister or Rosmah of being involved in the murder of the Mongolian woman.
“I no longer accept the story. I think it’s quite impossible. It can’t be that the prime minister’s wife would want to go to such place; it’s a jungle. I’m imagining, climbing up the hill, going into the jungle at night, at 12 midnight, I think it’s quite impossible,” he said.
Raja Petra said in the SD he made on June 18, 2008, he had stated that he received information from several individuals claiming that Rosmah was at the scene where Altantuya was murdered.
“In my SD, I said that these people had told (me) and for these people to come forward and tell their stories, and for the authority to investigate and call these people.
“That is what I’ve written in the SD. I’ve never raised any accusation. I didn’t say I knew that the prime minister’s wife was at the scene at that time,” he said.
He said: “I did not say. I did not make such accusation. All I said was that there were people telling stories but it’s up to the authorities to investigate the matter further, and for these people to come forward.
“And I’ve mentioned the names of these people. I mentioned their names during the police investigation,” he said, identifying the individuals as Nik Azmi Nik Daud, John Pang and blogger Din Merican.
He said a military intelligence officer known as Colonel Azmi Zainal Abidin had also given similar information.
He said in his meeting with Nik Azmi, he had asked him why he was being pressured to make the SD and that he had asked him “What do you hope to achieve?”
Raja Petra said: “He said Pak Lah will relinquish his post, (and) if we don’t block Najib, (he) will become the prime minister to succeed Pak Lah.”
Raja Petra said he then asked Din Merican to obtain the confirmation from Anwar.
“Din Merican contacted me back (and told me) he had spoken to Anwar and that Anwar had given the green light.
He said it’s okay, no problem with this man, we can trust what he said; Anwar knows him well and he used to see Anwar often … this Lieutenant Colonel, and that he had also spoken to Anwar on this issue.
“He told me to proceed. So, I proceeded,” he said.
Raja Petra said these individuals promised to become a witness if he was charged in court. — Bernama