After a three-week hiatus, the murder trial of murdered Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu resumed in the High Court in Shah Alam today, with Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar, the second accused, telling a trial-within-a trial that the police forced him to show and pose for pictures with jewellery belonging to the Mongolian woman.
The officer from the Special Action Squad (UTK) denied having revealed information during the interrogation by ASP Zulkarnain Samsudin on 7 Nov last year at the D9 (Serious Crimes Section) office of the Kuala Lumpur police hadquarters, that he (Sirul Azhar) could show the jewellery allegedly kept at his home in Kota Damansara.
Sirul Azhar alleged though, that during the 20-minute interrogation, Zulkarnain had threatened and also promised to assist to free him and not charge him in court if he (Sirul Azhar) followed his instructions.
Sirul Azhar said, "I consented as I thought what he (Zulkarnain) wanted to do would not affect me."
Sirul Azhar also denied having guided the police to his home.
He told the court that he was brought there in a Pajero four-wheel-drive vehicle after the interrogation that day.
"On nearing my flat, I found a number of police personnel including ASP Zulkarnain, C/Insp Koh Fei Chow and one Detective Chiam were already there. On the void deck of my flat, I saw four UTK officers and a colleague of mine Sjn Rosli Ibrahim hand over a bunch of keys to Koh, who passed it to Zulkarnain. I know Rosli very well. He is very familiar with my family background and personal details about me," he told the court.
Sirul Azhar also said that he could not remember who actually used the keys to open the door of his flat and only remembered ASP Zulkarnain opening it and was the first the enter his house.
When asked by his counsel, Hasnal Redzua Merican, what happened after that, Sirul Azhar said that he was ordered to sit at a dining table while ASP Zulkarnain entered the main bedroom, followed by C/Insp Koh, C/Insp Shawal (from the bomb disposal unit), DSP Yusri (from UTK), Sjn Rosli and another sergeant, Sjn Zafri, following which the room's door was closed.
Hasnal: After the door was closed, where were you?.
Sirul Azhar: I remained seated where I was.
Hasnal: How long were they in the room with the door closed?
Sirul Azhar: About 10 minutes.
Sirul Azhar continued, "After about 10 minutes, the door opened and I saw DSP Yusri, Sjn Rosli and Sjn Zafri come out each carrying a bag and leaving my house. I was still sitting at the dining table then."
Sirul Azhar said that when the door was reopened several minutes later, he was asked to enter by ASP Zulkarnain.
"Once inside I was ordered by ASP Zulkarnain to stand beside a cupboard there. Then ASP Zulkarnain asked me to hold a jacket. Before that he had asked me if it was my jacket. After that, a photographer was asked to take pictures," he said.
Sirul Azhar went on to describe the bedroom when he entered.
He said that the bedsheet on his bed seemed untidy and the ceiling fan was running while the cupboard's doors were open.
He said the photographer took two shots of him with the jacket and during which he did not say anything.
He said that after that, ASP Zulkarnain took out jewellery like ring, earrings and a watch from the jacket and arranged them on the bed.
He then asked Sirul Azhar to point at the items on the bed.
Asked if he did as instructed, Sirul Azhar said:
"I did say (to Zulkarnain), 'apa ini tuan (what is this sir)?, and refused to do it but Zulkarnain insisted on it saying 'kamu tunjuk ajelah Sirul' (just do it, Sirul). I did not say anything more and just followed as ordered. Zulkarnain then asked the photographer to take pictures of me in that pose."
During questioning by Hasnal earlier, Sirul Azhar said he did not know anything about the murder when interrogated by Zulkarnain.
He said Zulkarnain had banged the table and told him, "if you agree to follow me, I can show you the items (jewellery), you just identify them and pose for pictures. I can help you in this matter and we will not bring it to court".
Sirul Azhar added that Zulkarnain did not raise his voice when he made the offer.
Hasnal: When you were brought to ASP Zulkarnain's office what happened there?
Sirul Azhar: ASP Zulkarnain asked me all sorts of questions.
Hasnal: Were you able to answer them?
Sirul Azhar: Some I could, others I did not know the answers and said as such.
Hasnal: Did you at any time say you wanted to make a confession?
Sirul Azhar: No.
Hasnal: Did you tell ASP Zulkarnain you wanted to give him information.
Sirul Azhar: Never.
Sirul Azhar said that when he kept answering "don't know" to many of the questions, ASP Zulkarnain changed his line of questioning and at times also raised his voice and threatened not to make him (Zulkarnain) treat him (Sirul) like common criminals, with his face turning red.
When he was cross-examined by Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, Sirul Azhar said he had answered "I do not know" to questions from ASP Zulkarnain about who murdered Altantuya, who had shot her and blown up the deceased's body during the interrogation at Zulkarnain's office.
Sirul Azhar said that when questioned by ASP Zulkarnain about the clothes the deceased had worn or the jewellery, he had given the same reply.
Sirul Azhar, who had been an assistant interrogator when working for the CID in Kota Bahru, Kelantan, however admitted that police would use whatever means, including making "empty promises" to "break" a suspect.
Under re-examination by Hasnal, Sirul Azhar told the court that he feared he would be held by the police for a long time and that they (police) might have wanted to set him up in the case.
He said that because of this he had offered the raiding party (at his house on Nov 6) Hari Raya goodies he had brought from Taiping.
He had also asked Detective Chiam, whom he was handcuffed to, to take home some because he felt he might not be returning home to enjoy them, as he feared be would held by the police for a long time.
Earlier on 33rd day of the trial today, Sirul Azhar claimed that three keys shown to him in court were not the original of his home, which were surrendered to ACP Mastor Mohd Ariff, his superior who had brought him back from his offical duties in Pakistan to face the murder investigation.
Sirul Azhar said that the keys shown to him appeared new, whereas the original ones were faded.
The hearing before Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin continues tomorrow.
