(April 10): Former police commando Sirul Azmar Omar is disappointed that politicians are using his mother and uncle for political mileage in the issues surrounding the high profile murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, his lawyer Hasnal Redzua Merican said.

In an Utusan Malaysia report today, Hasnal said that Sirul was never keen on his family members' decision to meet with PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar, former Umno Batu Kawan chief Datuk Paduka Khairuddin Abu Hassan and former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad to discuss the case.

He said Sirul, now detained in Australia, is focusing on the legal processes to ensure that he could stay on in the country.

"Sirul had phoned me last night (April 8) and early yesterday morning. He was very disappointed with the actions of a handful of people who are trying to take advantage of the case.

"He is not happy with the meeting between her mother and uncle with Mahfuz and Dr Mahathir. His mother did not inform him about the meeting," said Hasnal, as reported in the Malay daily.

The lawyer said Sirul was concerned that an over-exposure of the case in the media could affect his chances of staying in Australia.

Sirul's mother, Piah Samat, reportedly met Dr Mahathir on Wednesday and begged for his help to intervene in the case so that Sirul could escape the gallows.

Mahfuz was said to have set up the meeting which reportedly took place at Dr Mahathir's office in Putrajaya.

He made headlines recently for being one of the few people who have managed to talk to Sirul, both through phone and by meeting with him in Australia.

He also brought Sirul's mother to Australia to meet with the convicted murderer, who is being held at an Australian immigration detention centre after fleeing the country last year.

He left for Australia just before the Federal Court decided to uphold his conviction for murdering Altantuya.

Sirul and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri were found guilty of the murder, but a five-man Federal Court bench led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria sentenced the men to be hanged, overturning a 2013 Court of Appeal ruling over the killing of Altantuya.

Evidence in court revealed that Altantuya was murdered before her body was blown up by C4 explosives on October 18, 2006, in the outskirts of Shah Alam, near the capital city Kuala Lumpur

Despite the conviction, the motive for the murder was never revealed. – The Malaysian Insider