The fate of a 13-year-old girl allegedly raped by several Sabah policemen remains uncertain although a Philippine embassy official has confirmed that documentary proof of the girl's nationality had been sent to Manila.

Consul General of the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Luis Cruz, said that a photocopy of the girl's birth certificate had been sent to the home office in Manila as early as Oct 11.

"We received a copy of the birth certificate from Bukit Aman [police headquarters] which we transmitted to the home office and the department of foreign affairs in Manila," said Cruz when contacted today.

However, he was uncertain if the girl will be returned to Malaysia based on the documentation provided.

Kuala Lumpur-Manila ties were strained over the alleged rape of the minor while in detention at a Sabah immigration camp. Malaysian authorities sought the girl's return after she was found to be a Malaysian and not a Filipina, as initially thought.

Clearance sought

Meanwhile, the special federal police team set up to investigate the rape claims said Malaysian authorities are still working with Philippine officials to get clearance for the return of the girl.

"We have written to Interpol in the Philippines to try to resolve the matter and bring the girl back," said Bukit Aman CID (Special Investigation) Principal Assistant Director Takbir Ahmad Nazir Takbir.

Takbir, who is leading a three-member team appointed to investigate the rape claims, said notifications had been sent to the Philippine government that the police had secured original documents proving the girl's nationality.

"We have not sent them the documents but we can produce them if they require it," he added.

Asked if the girl will be returned to Malaysia, Takbir replied, "It appears so."

According to him, the girl's parents have been seeking her return since she was mistakenly deported to Zamboanga in southern Philippines.

"Of course her parents want her back with them," he said when questioned about their response on finding out that their child had been deported.

Manila has been reluctant to handover the girl since it was found that her father is a Malaysian national but her mother, a Filipina. Citizenship rules in the Philippines allows for minors to hold dual citizenship based on the nationalities of their parents.

However, Malaysian law, which does not allow for dual citizenship, states that a child's citizenship follows that of the father, and the place of birth.

Further checks required

On the progress of the investigations into the rape claims, Takbir said although the child had identified several officers said to have raped her from photographs, police still has to verify the claims.

"When we interviewed her, she provided us with certain information. However, this is not 100 percent positive. She needs to identify them in person," he said.

Takbir said police still had to check if the men had committed the alleged rapes or whether the girl had identified them simply because they were present in the detention centre.

"We have to check whether they were working on the same day (that the rapes were said to have been committed) and whether they were involved in the rapes," he said.

Queried if any action has been taken against those identified so far, Takbir said, "We have some suspects but we are still waiting for the girl's return."

The officer-in-charge of the case at the Philippines home office was unavailable for comment.