Malaysian killer released from Australian immigration detention
Sirul Azhar Umar, a former Malaysian policeman convicted in the infamous 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, has been released from Australian immigration detention. The victim, a 28-year-old model and interpreter associated with ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak, was found dead in a jungle on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
Sirul, who fled to Australia in 2015 before the conclusion of his case, had been held in immigration detention for almost nine years after his asylum claim was rejected in 2019. His release follows a recent landmark ruling by Australia’s High Court that prohibited indefinite immigration detention, resulting in the unexpected release of several asylum seekers, some held on national security grounds.
Notably, the Australian government will not deport Sirul to Malaysia, citing a longstanding policy against extraditing individuals to countries where they may face execution. Sirul, along with another former police officer, Azilah Hadri, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2009 for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. Both appealed the verdict, but their sentences were upheld in 2015.
The case, marked by allegations of political interference and involvement of Malaysia’s elite, had implicated Najib Razak, who denied any connection to the victim. Abdul Razak Baginda, a former associate of Najib, was also initially arrested but later cleared of abetting the murder, admitting to an affair with Ms. Shaariibuu.
Sirul had previously made cryptic statements, referring to himself as “a black sheep that has to be sacrificed,” fueling political conspiracies. Campaign groups have alleged that the murder was orchestrated to silence Ms. Shaariibuu regarding purported kickbacks to high-level Malaysian officials.
In a noteworthy move earlier this year, Malaysia’s parliament voted to abolish the mandatory death penalty, although Azilah, Sirul’s co-accused, remains on death row. The country has maintained a moratorium on executions for the past five years.
