Lawyer Karpal Singh today filed a notice of appeal against a High Court decision in not disqualifying a defence lawyer of an accused in the Altantuya murder trial.

Karpal, who is holding a watching brief for the Altantuya family, said the notice was filed to the Court of Appeal against High Court judge Mohd Zaki Md Yasin's ruling on Monday against the disqualification of lawyer Hazman Ahmad.

On Monday, the first hearing of the murder trial, Karpal had applied to disqualify Hazman on the grounds of his family connection to the trial judge.

Karpal said that the judge was the uncle of Hazman's deceased wife. Hazman is the counsel to the first accused Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri.

Before June 18

However Justice Mohd Zaki dismissed Karpal's application.

Karpal said in a statement today the appeal was filed in the public interest, in the interest of the family of Altantuya, the deceased and the Mongolian government.

"I have also appealed to the trial judge to hand down his judgment in this regard before June 18 when the trial is scheduled to commence so that the Court of Appeal could hand down its decision on this issues as soon as possible," he said.

Azilah, 31, and fellow specialist police personnel Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 31, are charged with the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. Political analyst, Abdul Razak Baginda, 47, is charged with abetment.

Altantuya, 28, is believed to have been shot dead and her body blown up using explosives last October.