Father of murdered Mongolian woman Altantuya backs Malaysian killer’s bid to commute death sentence
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A heartfelt letter from Dr Shaariibuu Setev, the father of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, was read out in court.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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PUTRAJAYA – In a moving gesture, the father of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu has given his support for the application by former police commando Azilah Hadri to have his death sentence commuted to imprisonment.
Lawyer J. Kuldeep Kumar, who was representing Azilah, read parts of a letter from Dr Shaariibuu Setev that spoke of “the sanctity of life” in the Federal Court on Oct 10.
The court commuted Azilah’s sentence to 40 years in jail
“As far as the impact on the victim’s family is concerned, we have the letter from the victim’s father. He also asked us to mitigate the death sentence to life imprisonment,” Mr Kuldeep said on Oct 10.
The lawyer was submitting Azilah’s review application on his death sentence before a three-judge panel at the Federal Court.
Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, who held a watching brief for Altantuya’s family, confirmed that she had the original copy of the letter.
Meanwhile, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said the prosecution did not object to the letter.
“There is no dispute,” he said, referring to the letter’s authenticity.
The letter, which was written in both Mongolian and English, was also made available to the press.
Addressing “the advocate of Azilah Hadri”, Dr Shaariibuu wrote in his heartfelt letter that his request stemmed from a “deep respect for the humanity of Mongolians”.
“Let us honour the virtues of humanity and uphold truthful expression in every nation,” he said.
Mr Kuldeep also told the court that Azilah was raised in hardship in a poor family in Sarikei, Sarawak.
Azilah had persevered and became a policeman who served at different police headquarters over the years. He also received letters of recognition from former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and the inspector-general of police at the time for solving cases involving armed robbery, drug trafficking and child kidnapping.
Mr Kuldeep said there was no evidence that Azilah was a serial killer nor did he do the crime for sexual reasons.
“He did not benefit monetarily from the murder. The prosecution also failed to prove any motive for the murder,” he said.
Azilah has served 16 years and three months in jail thus far, excluding the time when he was acquitted by the Court of Appeal. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
