Razak Did Not Ask Me To Kill Altantuya, Says Private Eye

June 21, 2007 20:03 PM

Razak Did Not Ask Me To Kill Altantuya, Says Private Eye


SHAH ALAM, June 21 (Bernama) -- Private investigator P. Balasubramaniam told the High Court here Thursday that throughout his service with Abdul Razak Baginda, the political analyst had never asked him to kill or injure Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu but to wait until she runs out of money and returns to her country.

Balasubramaniam, 47, said Abdul Razak also told him not to injure Altantuya and he did not want anything untoward happen to her.

To a question from Abdul Razak's lawyer Wong Kian Kheong on what he would have done if he had been asked to kill someone, Balasubramaniam said he would have reported to the police.

He also agreed with five suggestions put to him by Wong on why Abdul Razak did not want to lodge a police report against Altantuya who was said to be harassing him at his office and home.

The suggestions were that Abdul Razak did not want publicity, did not want anything untoward happen to Altantuya and that Abdul Razak's lawyer had told Balasubramaniam to wait for Altantuya to run out of money and return to Mongolia without any incident.

The other suggestions were;

* Abdul Razak would be going to Hong Kong on Oct 24, 2006, on the first day of Hari Raya Puasa;

* Abdul Razak's wife Mazlinda Makhzan and their daughter Roweena would leaving for London on Oct 25 2006, the second day of Hari Raya;

* Balasumbraniam had deployed his men at the hotel where Altantuya and her two friends were staying and also at Abdul Razak's office and;

* Abdul Razak had agreed to engage two more men who were working at Hotel Malaya (where Altantuya was staying).

Balasubramaniam, who was paid RM7,000 by Abdul Razak for his services, was testifying on the fourth day of the high-profile murder trial.

Abdul Razak, 46, is charged with abetting Chief Insp Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, of the police Special Action Squad, to murder Altantuya, 28, at a location between lots 12843 and 16735 in Mukim Bukit Raja here between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20 last year.