KUALA LUMPUR — The Armed Forces denied today the existence of a report linking Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife to the gruesome murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, saying it has suspended the military intelligence officer named by Raja Petra Kamarudin.
Chief of Armed Forces General Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin stressed that Colonel Azmi Zainal Abidin had acted in his personal capacity and his actions had nothing to do with the force. The former deputy chief of the military special branch was transferred out to the army headquarters in January 2008, he said.
“The information given by Colonel Azmi Zainal Abidin to Raja Petra Kamarudin (picture) is false and has never existed in the Armed Forces’ possession.
“His actions are personal and has no relation to the Armed Forces,” Azizan said in a statement today.
The editor of the Malaysia Today news portal said yesterday that in 2008, Nik Azmi Nik Daud, then aide to Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, had told him of a confidential report that proved that Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor was present when Altantuya was murdered in 2006.
He wrote in his column that Nik Azmi told him it was in the possession of Azmi, then a lieutenant-colonel.
Raja Petra said that after the controversy from his statutory declaration based on Azmi’s claims, Nik Azmi told him that the report had been shredded.
“Sorry, no back-up copy. The report no longer exists. In fact, the entire file no longer exists,” the blogger wrote of what Nik Azmi told him.
In a press statement, Azizan said that investigations on Raja Petra’s claims will be held and be the basis of further action by the military.
He said that Azmi, who was redesignated to serve at the army headquarters since January 14, 2008, has been relieved of his duties pending the disposal of the investigation.
Raja Petra had given an interview to TV3, which was screened on Wednesday, where he said that he never accused Najib or Rosmah of being involved in Altantuya’s death.
He explained in Malaysia Today that he had given the interview to bring attention back to his statutory declaration, and called for Azmi and the alleged military report to be investigated.
By Shannon Teoh
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