KUALA LUMPUR • Mr Abdul Razak Baginda, a former speechwriter to Prime Minister Najib Razak who was entangled with the murder case of Mongolian translator and model Altantuya Shaariibuu, said that he is living in Malaysia and not based abroad.
Speaking for the first time since his acquittal after a public forum in Malaysia, he told the media on Thursday evening that journalists did not do their homework when they accused him of hiding abroad, Malaysiakini news site reported yesterday.
He was asked how long he had been in Malaysia as the speculation was that he had relocated to the United Kingdom.
"Yeah I live in Malaysia, alright. I spend more time in Malaysia than abroad," Malaysiakini reported him as saying. "But you see, you guys don't do your homework. I'm always in Malaysia."
Mr Abdul Razak, who was Ms Altantuya's lover, was acquitted by the High Court in 2008 of abetting in her murder.
The Mongolian, 28, was shot and then blown up with explosives in a forested hill in Shah Alam, Selangor, in 2006.
Mr Abdul Razak was a prominent defence analyst who wrote speeches for Datuk Seri Najib. The aide was also a middleman in Malaysia's purchase of two French submarines in 2002 when Mr Najib was defence minister.
Mr Abdul Razak told the Financial Times in February that he was paid about €30 million (S$46 million) to consult on the French deal, lobby for it and oversee the eight years of its execution.
His life came apart after the Altantuya case came to light in 2006.
In April 2010, Mr Abdul Razak spoke at a forum in Singapore and he told reporters later that he was based at Oxford University, where he was doing research on Islam and giving lectures in Britain about political Islam and the radicalisation of young Muslims.
Two police commandos, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, who guarded VVIPs including Datuk Seri Najib, were sentenced to death by the High Court in 2009. Sirul jumped bail and fled to Australia, where he is currently seeking asylum.
Mr Najib, who was accused by the opposition of being involved in the murder, has denied any knowledge of her.
