Friday, August 23, 2013

Malaysian court frees 2 cops in Altantuya Shaariibuu murder scandal...

A Malaysian appeals court on Friday ordered two police officers freed after overturning their murder convictions in the killing of a Mongolian woman who had an affair with the prime minister's friend.

The verdict revived claims of a political conspiracy surrounding the high-profile case that the opposition has repeatedly sought to link to Prime Minister Najib Razak. However, the claims are unlikely to have any immediate impact on the government, which has not been directly implicated in the killing.

The officers were the only suspects found guilty of shooting Altantuya Shaariibuu and blowing up her body with military explosives in 2006. A High Court judge in 2009 sentenced them to be hanged.

A three-judge panel in the Court of Appeals ruled that the High Court had overlooked gaps in the evidence, including whether the officers had access to the explosives, had any intention to kill her and were present at the time of the murder at the site where Shaariibuu's remains were found.

Prosecutors can appeal the verdict one final time in Malaysia's highest court.

 The prosecution had contended that the 28-year-old Shaariibuu's murder was ordered by her former lover Abdul Razak Baginda, a prominent defense analyst, after their affair ended. Full story...

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