A prominent political analyst with close ties to Malaysia's ruling party pleaded innocent yesterday to the charge of abetting the murder of a Mongolian woman, whose body was reportedly blown up by explosives.
Abdul Razak Baginda, 46, took the plea at the Kuala Lumpur High Court and demanded a trial, which will begin on Dec. 14 in Shah Alam, the state capital of neighboring Selangor State where the murder was allegedly committed last month.
If found guilty, Abdul Razak faces the death penalty. Two policemen have separately been charged with murdering the woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old model, teacher and translator.
PHOTO: AP
The two -- Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Constable Sirul Azhar Umar -- are part of an elite unit tasked with VIP protection, and both also face the death penalty if convicted. They have not entered a plea yet.
The case has gripped the nation and whipped up media a frenzy unseen in recent times because of the involvement of Abdul Razak, who runs a think tank and is known to be close to the ruling party, as well as Malaysia's deputy prime minister.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has pledged a thorough investigation, while the country's police chief promised there would be no cover up.
The local press has reported Abdul Razak had an affair two years ago with Shaariibuu, but his lawyer has insisted there was no romantic relationship.
According to prosecutors he conspired with Azilah and Sirul on Oct. 18 to kill Shaariibuu sometime between the night of Oct. 19 and early Oct. 20.
Prosecutors have not said how Abdul Razak knew the policemen or what their motive was in killing Shaariibuu.
Police DNA tests have confirmed that human remains found in a jungle clearing outside Kuala Lumpur earlier this month were Shaariibuu's. The local press has reported she was shot twice and her body blown up with explosives.
Police have released few other details of the case. Mongolia's honorary consul to Malaysia, Abdul Rahman Alhabshi, has said Shaariibuu came to Malaysia last month, but hasn't said why.
The Star newspaper reported on Wednesday that Shaariibuu was married twice to Mongolian celebrities and had two children.
It said she trained as a model but never worked professionally.
Abdul Razak is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Leaders for Tomorrow, and of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Shamans in Peru on Monday gathered for an annual New Year’s ritual where they made predictions for the year to come, including illness for US President Donald Trump and the downfall of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “The United States should prepare itself because Donald Trump will fall seriously ill,” Juan de Dios Garcia proclaimed as he gathered with other shamans on a beach in southern Lima, dressed in traditional Andean ponchos and headdresses, and sprinkling flowers on the sand. The shamans carried large posters of world leaders, over which they crossed swords and burned incense, some of which they stomped on. In this
‘NO COUNTRY BUMPKIN’: The judge rejected arguments that former prime minister Najib Razak was an unwitting victim, saying Najib took steps to protect his position Imprisoned former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was yesterday convicted, following a corruption trial tied to multibillion-dollar looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state investment fund. The nation’s high court found Najib, 72, guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering related to more than US$700 million channeled into his personal bank accounts from the 1MDB fund. Najib denied any wrongdoing, and maintained the funds were a political donation from Saudi Arabia and that he had been misled by rogue financiers led by businessman Low Taek Jho. Low, thought to be the scandal’s mastermind, remains
Near the entrance to the Panama Canal, a monument to China’s contributions to the interoceanic waterway was torn down on Saturday night by order of local authorities. The move comes as US President Donald Trump has made threats in the past few months to retake control of the canal, claiming Beijing has too much influence in its operations. In a surprising move that has been criticized by leaders in Panama and China, the mayor’s office of the locality of Arraijan ordered the demolition of the monument built in 2004 to symbolize friendship between the countries. The mayor’s office said in
FIGHTING CONTINUES: Thai military dropped 40 bombs on border areas, Cambodia said, while Bangkok said Phnom Penh launched heavy attacks and damaged homes Cambodia yesterday accused Thailand of intensifying its bombardment of disputed border areas, even as officials from the two countries attend a multi-day meeting aimed at negotiating an end to deadly clashes. The neighbors’ long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce and killing more than 40 people, according to official counts. About 1 million people have also been displaced. Cambodian and Thai officials were in their third day of talks at a border checkpoint, with ministers of defense from the two countries scheduled to meet today. However, the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense said Thailand’s military carried out a heavy