Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan was embroiled in a tweet-for-tat on Azilah Hadri's explosive allegations in a statutory declaration (SD) regarding the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Responding to a Twitter user who asked if he had trouble sleeping last night, he said: “InsyaAllah 'nyenyak' (slept soundly) and managed to perform the 'subuh' (dawn) prayers. It is important to ensure that truth prevails, not slander.”
The former police chief also retweeted an article quoting Abdul Razak Baginda's lawyer calling for contempt proceedings to be initiated with regard to the SD.
Musa was the police chief when the Mongolian national was shot dead and her remains blown up with explosives in 2006.
The police had cleared former premier Najib Abdul Razak of any involvement in the case.
In 2015, Musa also denied the allegations, which resurfaced from an Al-Jazeera documentary, that Altantuya was somehow linked to Najib.
Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that Azilah (photo), one of two former police special action force (UTK) personnel convicted of killing Altantuya and sentenced to death, implicated Najib in the murder.
Azilah, who is on death row in the Kajang prison, accused Najib, who was then deputy premier, and Razak Baginda of ordering the killing of the Mongolian woman after convincing him she was a foreign spy who posed a threat to national security.
The SD was filed together with his affidavit seeking a review of the Federal Court's decision and retrial.
READ MORE: Convinced of threat, I agreed to do it for my beloved nation – Azilah's SD
Meanwhile, Musa, in another tweet, said those who ranted without facts are the biggest liars.
This was after a user with the handle ExposingKlepto said: “InsyaAllah. The truth will emerge and your lies will be showcased to the public.”
In an earlier tweet, which appeared to be in response to Musa saying he had performed his dawn prayers, the same Twitter user said: “That is true. Azilah and Sirul [Azhar Umar] who killed Altantuya on Najib's instructions during the month of Ramadadan also observed 'sahur' [morning meal before fasting] and dawn prayers.”
Musa then replied: “Has this been confirmed via an investigation or just slander?”
In a separate tweet, Musa also denied that the police closed cases related to VIPs when another user said the public have grown tired of this special treatment.
“Police cannot close a case. They can only investigate if there are criminal elements. It is the Attorney-General's Chambers which has the power to prosecute,” he explained.
To another tweet that the people wanted to know the motive behind Altantuya's gruesome murder, he replied: “The victim made a report with the Brickfields police station on the disturbance and threats against her before she disappeared and was killed.”
Following the Al Jazeera documentary in 2015, Musa recalled the investigation process which took place after the murder.
"We received a report that a Mongolian model had gone missing. My first thought was that it was a tourist, and it doesn't look good on Malaysia if a tourist goes missing," he said.
Musa said the investigation revealed that two police officers – Azilah and Sirul - were with Altantuya on the night she disappeared.
Prior to her disappearance, he said the Mongolian national lodged a police report claiming she had been harassed and blackmailed by "a male friend" for demanding money from him.
After suspecting that Razak Baginda (photo), a close associate of Najib, was involved, Musa said the police sought permission from then premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to bring him in for questioning.
"Pak Lah [Abdullah] was out of the country at the time. When he returned, I told him who we suspected was involved and he said to refer the matter to Najib since Razak Baginda was his adviser.
"Najib told me to do my job, and to make the arrest. From there, we discovered that the victim had been murdered and her body blown up," he added.
Razak Baginda was subsequently charged with abetting the murder, but was later discharged. The prosecution did not file an appeal.
Clearing Najib of any wrongdoing, Musa advised the public not to speculate on the matter.
"If anyone has new evidence on the case or has information of someone else's involvement, then they should make a police report and it will be investigated accordingly. Don't just make up stories," he said, promising that the police would investigate fresh leads.
As for the Al Jazeera documentary, Musa claimed it was a ploy to ruin Najib's credibility.
Yesterday, DAP lawmaker Lim Lip Eng said in light of Azilah's allegations, the authorities must focus on all those involved in the Altantuya murder investigation and trial.
He said the actions of the then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail (photo), the police officers who conducted the investigation, the DPPs who prosecuted and the judges who heard the case must also be scrutinised.
Lim added that if investigations revealed that there was collusion to protect certain individuals, then those involved must also be brought to justice.
He also pointed out that the prosecution did not call Najib's former aide de camp, DSP Musa Safri, to testify during the trial, and the motive for the murder was never established.
Najib described Azilah's allegations as a complete fabrication and accused the Pakatan Harapan government of attempting to divert public attention from its shortcomings.
