spook stories? the one thing that really puzzle is that why choose to blow up the body? I mean u would think they can burried 6 ft under.Originally posted by Shotgun:It was on the New paper's front page 2 days ago.
Apparently, it mentioned that the death of the Mongolian Girl (the one that was shot then blown up) was somehow tied in with the "Secret" Submarine Deal with France for the Scorpene and Agosta submarines.
Any one heard any rumors on that "conspiracy" theory and can post up here?
KUALA LUMPUR: Since November, when the charred remains of a jet-setting young Mongolian were discovered in a patch of jungle outside this modern capital, her mysterious murder has captivated the political elite here, not least because prosecutors say she was killed by commandos assigned to the second most powerful man in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.2.Murder trial linked to fight to rule Malaysia,
With the trial set to begin Monday, Malaysians hope a basic but still elusive question will be answered: who was behind the murder in October of Altantuya Shaariibuu, 28, and why?
The trial is perhaps the most high-profile case in Malaysia since Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister, was charged with sodomy and corruption almost a decade ago, and was beaten by the chief of police while in detention.
Like the Anwar trial, the inquiry into Shaariibuu's murder has raised questions about the transparency and thoroughness of this country's judicial system and about the practices of the Malaysian police. One of the bodyguards charged with murdering Shaariibuu bragged that he had killed "between 6 and 10 people," according to an affidavit submitted in a pre-trial hearing.
Three men have been charged in the case: the two bodyguards and Abdul Razak Baginda, an adviser to the deputy prime minister, who is accused of aiding and abetting the killing of Shaariibuu, who he says was his mistress. They face death by hanging if convicted.
Shaariibuu was a part-time model who spoke English, Russian and Mandarin, according to local media reports. She was shot and her body destroyed with explosives, the police say. Malaysians have speculated for months as to whether her murder was the result of a lover's quarrel or part of a more sinister and far-reaching cover-up involving high-level government officials.
"We are interested to know whether there is any political link to the murder," said Zulkifli Noordin, a lawyer representing Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, one of the bodyguards. "Why were all the people involved linked to No. 2?" he asked, referring to Najib.
Zulkifli said he would explore Shaariibuu's role in the purchase of French submarines by Malaysia in 2002.
"She may have been involved as the interpreter in the arms deal between the French company and the Defense Ministry," Zulkifli said. "We want to see whether there are any links."
Zulkifli also plans to call Najib to the stand to inquire about meetings the deputy prime minister held with his client, he said.
One defense lawyer is skeptical that the court will explore possible motives for the murder.
"Motive is a very interesting question," said Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, a lawyer representing the other bodyguard charged, Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar. "But it is irrelevant here if they have physical evidence that three people have done it."
Prosecutors, Kamarul predicts, will focus narrowly on the actual killing. Under Malaysian law, which resembles British or American legal tradition on this point, prosecutors need not show motive to get a conviction.
"It may be a trial where everything is said and done but nothing is answered," Kamarul said.
Outside the courtroom, some analysts here see the case as a proxy battle for Malaysia's top political job, currently held by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. It is likely to stoke a long-standing rivalry between Najib, who as deputy prime minister is the heir apparent to the job of prime minister, and Anwar, the former deputy prime minister who was released from prison in 2004 and is seeking to make a political comeback.
More than anyone in Malaysia, Anwar has publicly urged a broader investigation into the purchase of the French submarines, allegations of kickbacks in that deal and the role that Shaariibuu may have played.
"The issue is who gave the instructions?" Anwar said in an interview this year. "If the instructions to the commandos were to finish off this girl and any traces because she was a threat to national security, what then is the status of the murder?"
Anwar says he is skeptical that the police can conduct a fair investigation into a killing that involves Najib's bodyguards. He called for an independent inquiry.
"There's a political damage exercise here," said Sankara Nair, a Malaysian lawyer not involved with the trial. "Anwar is throwing a small political bomb into Najib's camp."
Anwar's most forceful allegation is that the deputy prime minister's bodyguards, some of whom are members of a special commando force, only act on orders from the top.
"Their duty is like the Secret Service - to protect," Anwar said. "That's why questions must be raised."...
...Malaysia's prime minister, Abdullah Badawi, has pledged no cover-up. Mr Anwar has questioned the French sale of submarines to Malaysia in 2002, urging a probe into the 530m ringgit (£78m) commission paid to a company said to be linked to Mr Abdul Razak. Shaariibuu may have acted as a translator in the negotiations.