A high-ranking police officer today testified in the Altantuya murder trial that he had to give a false excuse to the second accused Sirul Azhar Umar in order to bring him back to Malaysia from Pakistan.

Deputy commander of special squad Mastor Mohd Ariff said he did not tell Sirul that he was being brought back for investigations into the killing of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Instead, Mastor said he told Sirul that his ex-wife had lodged a report against him and thus he was wanted for investigations back in Malaysia

Corporal Sirul, 35, who is a member of the Special Action Unit (UTK), was then in Pakistan as part of the prime minister's escort team.

Mastor said he and two other officers flew to Islamabad last October to bring Sirul back to Malaysia.

Mastor, who is the number two man in the police's special squad, said he knew that Sirul had some personal problems with his ex-wife.

"I had to bring him back immediately to protect the good name of the police," he told the court this afternoon.

The witness also said that Sirul didn't really believe that he was being brought back home as a result of his ex-wife lodging a police report.

Mastor said he told Sirul that he would tell him the real reason as soon as they were on the plane from Pakistan.

He added while on the plane, Sirul pressed him repeatedly on why he was being sent back to Malaysia earlier than the rest of his team.

Mastor testified that he promised to tell Sirul on the final leg of their journey - from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur.

At this stage, the case was adjourned by justice Mohd Zaki Md Yasin to tomorrow.

Sirul's confession tomorrow

Meanwhile, the prosecution created further excitement in the trial when it said it would reveal Sirul's confession tomorrow. However, this is expected to be challenged by the defence team.

"I'm introducing a confession which will ensure a trial within a trial," lead deputy public prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah told journalists. The judge will hear arguments from both sides on whether the confession is admissible in court.

Tun Majid said that Sirul's confession was made to Mastor during their flight back to Kuala Lumpur after their transit in Bangkok.

Earlier in his testimony, Mastor explained that both Sirul and the other accused, Azilah Hadri, were both UTK operatives.

He told the court that Azilah was a chief inspector belonging to the combat diving unit and Sirul was a corporal belonging to the communications unit.

Both, upon joining the UTK, underwent basic explosives training, he added.

The assistant commissioner further elaborated that "every operative that goes through basic training is taught to recognise and understand the uses of explosives".

"On top of that, they learn to combine different explosive devices to result in specific sized explosions (explosive charge)," he responded to questions by DPP Tun Majid.

Mastor also explained the procedure for taking and returning explosives from the UTK armory storage. He said that explosives, once taken out and if not used, should be returned.

He said the explosives can be taken out for the use of training exercises.

However, he added, the amount of explosives used or not used during training was not recorded.

Since no records are made, Mastor said it was possible for explosives not used during training are not returned.

Mastor also said that he has heard of plastic explosive called C4 but added that this type of explosive was never used by the UTK, and was not part of its arsenal.

The prosecutors say C4 explosives were used to kill Altantuya.

The witness also said that Sirul was bound to obey orders from Azilah despite not being under the chief inspector's direct command.

"The lower ranking staff in the field, known as operatives, work according to instructions. They cannot question their officers."

Mastor further described them as "robots".

He also said that Sirul, as a lower-ranking officer, was not allowed to have guns, unless with special order from the unit commander.

Azilah, on the other hand, was allowed to carry a gun at all times.

Blast-related killing

Sirul joined UTK in 1996, while Azilah was with unit from 2003.

Azilah, 30, and Sirul, 35, are charged with the murder of the Mongolian national while political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, 47, is charged with abetting them.

Prosecutors say Abdul Razak planned her killing and ordered two police officers to carry it out.

Altantuya was killed by "probable blast-related" injuries in a clearing in Shah Alam after she was driven away from outside Abdul Razak's house in mid-October.

All three face the death penalty if found guilty.