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Maria J. Dass, The Sun SHAH ALAM (May 12, 2008): The first and second accused in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial - Chief Insp Azilah Hadri, 32, and Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar, 37 - lodged a police report today against Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin for alleging that they had threatened him.
In the beginning of today's hearing, Azilah’s counsel, Datuk Hazman Ahmad, stood up and raised the issue quoting news website Malaysiakini’'s report on Raja Petra saying that he had posted bail to be released from the Sungai Buloh prison where he claimed he was threatened by Sirul and Azilah. Raja Petra, upon posting bail and being released last Friday (May 9), told the media that Azilah and Sirul had shouted at him and said that something would happen to him. He also claimed that the prison authorities said they would not be able to guarantee his safety. "We have taken down statements from both the accused saying that the incident never happened," said Hazman. Both of them never met Raja Petra while he was in remand and did not know where he was placed during this time, he said. The accusations are prejudicial and contentious to both Sirul and Azilah and should not be uttered without any facts, he added. "Sirul totally denies the accusations and we have told him to lodge a police report on the incident which never happened," said Sirul’s counsel Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin. Reading out a paragraph of a posting by Raja Petra on Malaysia Today titled "Thank you so much and sorry for letting you down", Kamarul said there was absolutely no basis for the writer to make speculations as mentioned in the paragraph. The paragraph reads: "When I arrived in Sungai Buloh Prison, something happened that put the entire prison on full alert. Sirul and Azilah, who were in the same block as me, Blok Damai, shouted for me to watch my back and that they will get me. I was quickly whisked out of the block. It seems they were angry that the Altantuya murder trial, which had disappeared from the radar screens, has now, again, been given the spotlight. Why should that upset them? Why the need for the Altantuya murder trial to disappear from the radar screens?" "There is absolutely no basis for him to speculate that the duo were angry based on the fact that the trial was in the spotlight again," Kamarul said. "To suggest or imply that the two accused are fearful of publicity on the case which has been there since day one is highly prejudicial and attempts to paint a bad picture of our clients' character and conduct," he said. Hazman added that journalists have been calling him for a response on the matter which in fact never happened. Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin then asked where the allegations had been published. "On internet news sites, blogs and news reports," Hazman responded. Mohd Zaki then said: "Rest assured to you and the prosecution that I will not be influenced by these reports." Sirul and Azilah are charged with murdering Mongolian Altantuya in a jungle clearing in Mukim Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20, 2006. Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda is charged with abetting them. Hearing continued with investigating officer ASP Tonny Lunggan giving a detailed run down of his investigations into the phones, laptops and SIM cards seized from the accused and handed to CyberSecurity Malaysia to be processed for evidence. He also told the court of the persons he met at telecommunications companies Maxis and Celcom to obtain information and data on the calls and movements of the accused based on their phone records. Hearing continues tomorrow with cross examination of Tonny’s testimony, while a witness from CyberSecurity will be recalled to testify and furnish some additional documents to the court before he goes to Korea.
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