Lawyer Americk Sidhu said today the events referred to in former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar’s first video are a sign that it could have only been recorded after he was detained at Sydney’s Villawood Immigration Centre.

“In this video, Sirul makes specific reference to the press conference given by Kamarul Hisham and Hasnal Rezua Merican on the Dec 31, 2015.

“Sirul also refers to the application he is making for PR. This could only have taken place while he was in Villawood,” Americk told Malaysiakini .

Americk said this in response to reports in the Australian media on Sirul’s case, the latest being on heightened security at Villawood Immigration Centre, amid safety concerns.

“The Australian press has received information that the video recordings made by Sirul were done pre-detention.

“The purpose of this disinformation is to take the heat off the Australian immigration authorities for allowing this to happen while one of their detainees is in detention,” Americk said.

In the video of two minutes and 51 seconds that was viewed by Malaysiakini , Sirul said: "As we know, my lawyer Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin himself has said, there are certain processes, including immigration and legal matters, ongoing here that need my attention.

"So I now want to fully focus my time and energy to be able to stay here, in my application to remain here."

Kamarul Hisham had, during the press conference, said Sirul’s application for a protection visa was made earlier last year, after he fled from Malaysia.

"My client submitted the application for the protection visa as he was still being detained by the department and we were informed that the process was still on-going," Kamarul Hisham reportedly said.

Australians report video shot earlier

Sirul’s confessions were reportedly shot inside Villawood, but The Australian , in a report yesterday, quoted unnamed officials who believe that the videos could pre-date his arrival there in January last year.

It was also reported that Australia’s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had declined to comment on the case, while the former corporal’s protection visa is being processed.

Sirul fled to Australia prior to the Federal Court overturning his acquittal and convicting him and another former police commando, Azilah Hadri, of murdering Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Americk has had a long association with the Altantuya case, most recently having acted as counsel for the late private investigator P Balasubramaniam's widow, A Santamil Selvi, in her RM1.9 million suit against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor and five others.