Abdul Razak: Najib not involved

Updated 7.30pm For the whole 50 minutes of his first press conference today, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda maintained repeatedly that the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife were not involved in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.

He also struck out at bloggers for spreading lies over the matter and pled to the public to be apprehensive of what they read in blogs.

Speaking for the first time to the media after his acquittal , Abdul Razak sported a light coloured long sleeve shirt and a coat.

"I implore all of you and the public to stop spreading lies about Najib and his wife. I know Najib and his wife had never met the deceased, Altantuya.

"So much fitnah (slander) has been thrown against Najib and his wife. Those who have spread such lies can never produce any authentic evidence because there are none.

"The truth is the truth and nothing can change the truth."

Asked to comment on why when he was charged in November 2006, his wife Mazlinda Makhzan (right) reportedly shouted hysterically "Why charged my husband, he does not want to be the prime minister" Abdul Razak replied that his wife was under duress then.

"You tend to forget that you had not experience this. When you are in prison, you cannot see your family members. There was no physical contact.

"At that time, my family had not seen me for quite some time. I can appreciate my wife was under a distressful state. Besides obviously I do not want to be a prime minister," he said.

‘Only met her in Nov 2004'

Abdul Razak said Altantuya (far left) was never involved in any arms purchase by the Malaysian government. Allegations of her being involved with purchases of Scorpene submarines and Soviet fighter planes have dogged the trial.

"People tend to forget, the arms deal took place in June 2002, and I met Altantuya in November 2004."

Abdul Razak feels he can do nothing about public perception but however pleaded that people stopped linking Najib and Rosmah to the murder.

The political analyst was originally charged with abetting with two elite police officers - Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar - for the cruel murder of the Mongolian in November 2006.

The case took a twist when he was acquitted without having to enter a defence on Oct 31. Azilah and Sirul will enter their defence next year when the trial resumes.

Observes were perplexed as the prosecution had claims of a strong case against Abdul Razak.

Murmurs of political interference grew stronger when the prosecution chose not to appeal the acquittal.

Henry IV and Martin Luther

Abdul Razak is a known confidante of Najib, having worked on government arms procurement projects while the latter was the defence minister.

His press conference on Nov 6 was cancelled at the eleventh hour.

Abdul Razak began the press conference today, by reading a two-page statement in which he cited passages from Shakespeare’s Henry IV and also Martin Luther - alluding to the lies he has to deal with and public perception.

He thanked god for guidance and his family for the support while he was in custody for 22 months - acknowledging that he would not have made it without them.

"It was their love and dedication that has given me strength to pull through. They have visited me more than 100 times where they would come every Saturday. I have been fortunate."

Abdul Razak said it was human nature for people to shy away when you are in trouble.

"I spent two Hari Rayas in prison. Prior to my imprisonment, I would receive hundreds of Raya cards. For the last two years, I received a total of no more than 20," he said.

He also thanked his family, friends, lawyers, the prison authorities and some of the inmates for helping him through prison life.

"I find the prison authorities demonstrated a high degree of professionalism. My appreciation goes to them.

"To my fellow inmates, some have showed much kindness, I would like to take this opportunity to wish them the best of luck."

On allegations that there were hidden motives behind his acquittal, Abdul Razak quoted Shakespeare: "A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on.

"It seems no one is interested anymore in knowing the truth. Some quarters have made concerted effort to twist and turn the story.

Lies and baseless assumptions became the basis of so-called truth and the real truth has become irrelevant and lost in translation," stressed Abdul Razak.

Avid reader Najib

Questions asked covered a wide array of issues - SMS exchanges involving his lawyer and Najib, his faith in the legal system, his relationship with Najib and Altantuya, private investigator Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration, the alleged arms deal and his time in and now out of prison.

In describing his relationship to Najib, Abdul Razak said he had known Najib since the early 1990's and that he had known him professionally and personally.

"However, I never held any positions with Najib I am just a friend who may have a personal contact with him.

"I am not an aide per say as he (Najib) and Abdullah has his own array of aides or assistants," he said.

His verdict was that a well read person like Najib would make a good prime minister.

"At times we would exchange books, he would lend his books and he sometimes takes mine. If there is something interesting we would discuss.

"He is aware what is going on in the world. Intellectually, he is not all bad and he would be a good Prime Minister."

On the alleged exchange of SMSes between Najib and Shafee Abdullah (his former lawyer), the political analyst said he was in remand and he does not know anything.

When pressed further on the SMSes, Abdul Razak questioned why the press cannot be critical.

"Do not take (the SMSes) at face value. Someone alleged intervention and everyone jump the bandwagon, without questioning the validity on that.

"Bear in mind I was charged went to prison, waited for my trial for 151 days. I did not meet my family...I went through all that. How can there be interference if I had gone all through that. God almighty come on."

An incoherent mind

On P Balasubramaniam’s (right) statutory declarations first alleging then retracting that Najib knew Altantuya, the political analyst said the matter was still under police investigations and he had also been interviewed by police on his release on the same issue.

"What I have said to you is what I told the police, Najib has never met the deceased."

Commenting on his postponement of the last press conference on Nov 6, he said it had nothing to do with the prosecution trying to appeal or not, but more about his state of mind.

"My mind was incoherent, its was jumping from one point to another. I am losing things. To be frank, it has nothing to do with the prosecution filing an appeal or not," he said.

The free man was unwilling to comment on why the prosecution refused to appeal the acquittal.

By Nov 14, the prosecution did not file an appeal to Abdul Razak’s acquittal where they claimed the court had made a fact finding.

On his relationship with Altantuya, Abdul Razak said the media has to respect there is this on-going court proceedings.

"A person has died, let the person rest in peace. I know there are lot of lies being spread. There was a media, a reputable one which claim I met her over dinner. Where did that come from. Let’s leave it at that."

Commenting further on the possible action taken by Shaariibuu Setev (left) , Altantuya’s father, Abdul Razak expressed his deepest sympathies to the deceased family and would monitor the situation.

"It is his freedom. I know there is a civil suit filed against me, the Malaysian Government and the two other accused."

"I never knew them. But I have already said my piece," he said.

He was scathing of the blogsphere.

"For the last two years I did not realise the reach of the borderless world, the internet world and how bloggers had taken centre-stage.

"I had checked with my friends abroad the last two weeks and they acknowledge there as once a period in British society when bloggers ran supreme but after a while they realised that bloggers are bloggers.

"I cannot be responsible to what is alleged in blogs, Its just manipulation. I hope Malaysian society has developed, we should question rather then accept things. Lets be more critical in what we read, do not accept things verbatim. I was surprised how easy it was to tell lies on the internet, blogs."

Commenting on his outburst in court, where Abdul Razak allegedly said something bad about Pak Lah, the political analyst said he was only venting his anger and was upset with postponements in his case.

"When you are innocent, you want to get things moving. I feel no different and I am innocent, I only felt the case was dragging for so long," he said.

Asked on public and international perception that the justice system in Malaysia was not right, Abdul Razak said he was aware there was a lot of perception on that.

"I was caught, charge and went through the system. I am glad to say I survive the system," he said.

From here on

Asked as to his future plans, he said he expects to complete his doctorate at Oxford University - to whom he submitted his dissertation two weeks before Altantuya’s murder.

"After my release, I have been eating a hell of a lot," he said adding he was unsure whether he would write a book on the case and he does not intend to run away as he was a free man and had already been judged by the court.

Commenting on how he spent time in prison, Abdul Razak said he read a lot of books from autobiographies to the Prophet Muhammad and the Caliphate and he read things which he did not have time to read when he was outside.

The press conference was also attended by his father Abdul Malim Baginda, and elder brother and sister. Abdul Razak is the youngest of three siblings.

Both his wife Mazlinda and daughter Rowena were not present.

VIDEO | 8 mins

Abdul Razak Baginda's full statement