Altantuya's murderer seeks life imprisonment instead of execution

The apex court today will hear Azilah Hadri's application to swap his death penalty with life imprisonment for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu 18 years ago.

The Federal Court is set to preside over the former police commando’s review application linked to his murder conviction and death sentence over the 2006 killing.

Azilah filed the review bid after Parliament passed the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill last year.

Altantuya, 28, was murdered in a deserted area at Shah Alam, Selangor, in October 2006. Her remains were blown up with military-grade explosives.

The criminal court found Azilah and former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar to be guilty of the murder and sentenced them to death in April 2009.

Azilah, 48, is currently on death row in a Malaysian prison.

However, Sirul flew to Australia before the Federal Court reversed an earlier Court of Appeal verdict that discharged and acquitted the two men and reinstated their conviction and death sentence in 2015.

For overstaying a tourist visa, Sirul was detained by Australian authorities, who have a policy of not deporting anybody facing the death penalty in the country of origin.

However, the 52-year-old has since been released and is understood to still be in Australia.

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