(April 10): A Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) should be set up to look into the death of Altantuya Shaariibuu, the DAP said today, noting that this was the only way Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak could salvage his credibility over the matter.

DAP's Lim Kit Siang said the RCI should investigate and establish several key questions about the death of the Mongolian woman, including the motive, who gave orders to have her killed as well as the conduct of various authorities like the police, the Attorney-General's Chambers and the judiciary over their failure to get to the bottom of the murder.

"As Najib has reiterated that he did not know Altantuya and was not involved directly or indirectly in the Mongolian’s murder, why is Najib so resistant to the proposal for a full inquiry?" the Gelang Patah MP asked.

"This includes the motive of Altantuya’s murder, and in particular, who had given the orders to the two ex-police commandos to kill the Mongolian and blow up her body with military explosives?"

In an interview with TV3 last night, Najib once again denied he had anything to do with Altantuya's murder nine years ago.

The prime minister said that he had sworn that he did not know Altantuya and was not involved in her murder directly or indirectly.

"There is no evidence at all to say I knew Altantuya. There were no photographs, no writing, no witnesses. And the police have investigated."

Najib said that he had recited the religious oath thrice, including at a mosque in Permatang Pauh in 2008, explaining he never knew Altantuya or was involved in her murder.

"The case went through the courts up to the Federal Court. Are we going to question the integrity of the courts which we have safeguarded for so long?" he asked.

Najib's predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has also come out to defend the prime minister, saying he was not involved in the high-profile murder.

In a report in The Star today, the former premier said he had been conveyed findings of the police investigation into the murder.

"Based on the findings from the thorough investigation conducted by the Royal Malaysian Police that was conveyed to me, it was confirmed that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is not involved at all in the case," he was reported as saying.

This comes after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was prime minister before Abdullah, had listed down in a blog posting various allegations against Najib and wrote that none had been answered adequately, prompting last night's interview.

Dr Mahathir had said these included the murder of Altantuya and the claims made by one of her convicted murderers, former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar, who was a former bodyguard of Najib's.

On Sirul's claim that he was "under orders" to kill Altantuya, Dr Mahathir said such an allegation ought to be investigated because Sirul had worked for Najib, who was then the defence minister.

In urging Najib to set up the RCI into Altantuya's murder, Lim, who is also DAP parliamentary leader, said the investigation will be a "great healing process" for the country.

"Such a RCI will be a great healing process for Malaysia, not only to restore confidence in the integrity and professionalism of national institutions, but also the international credibility and reputation of the prime minister and the rule of law in the country," he said.

The RCI should cover questions like who ordered Altantuya's murder, who commissioned the C4 explosives used to blow up her body, who erased the Mongolian's record of entering the country, among others.

"Najib must be pro-active and cannot continue to rely on his denial and his oaths if he is to convince the public and the world that he has absolutely nothing to do with Altantuya’s gruesome murder.

"An RCI into Altantuya’s murder and the conduct of various authorities in the case is the only way to salvage the credibility and repute of Najib and his premiership from the Mongolian albatross.

"Will Najib dare to set up such a Royal Commission of Inquiry?" he asked.

The veteran DAP leader also listed several key people who were allegedly involved in the case and who the RCI should also be looking into, including DSP Musa Safri, Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan.

Former police commandos Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri were found guilty and sentenced to death by the Federal Court in January this year.

Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, a confidante of Najib, who was also charged with abetting Azilah and Sirul, was acquitted by the High Court in 2008 without his defence being called. The government did not appeal his acquittal.

Despite the conviction, the motive for the murder of Altantuya was never revealed.

Sirul, currently held by Australian immigration authorities in Sydney, has since claimed that he was acting under orders when he murdered Altantuya.

As a result, politicians, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have demanded the police reopen the case.

Evidence in court revealed that Altantuya was murdered and her body blown up by explosives on October 18, 2006, on the outskirts of Shah Alam. – The Malaysian Insider