“It also gives an impression that the government was afraid of extraditing Sirul for reasons best known to it.”
In the circumstances, the MP called upon Apandi Ali to publicly state if such extradition proceedings have been initiated forthwith, as the family of Altantuya and the public have a right to know.
In the absence of a response to his queries to the Malaysian and Australian AGs on Sirul, Ramkarpal does not rule out the possibility that extradition proceedings against Sirul have not been initiated contrary to the Home Minister’s assurance in March, 2015.”
“The government, said the Home Minister, was in the process of doing so.”
The MP stressed that Apandi Ali must understand that as AG, he was answerable to the public. “Why is he not responding to this very important question as to whether the government intends to bring Sirul back to Malaysia to face due process of the law?”
The Home Minister obviously acted on the advice of the AG when he stated in Parliament in March last year that extradition proceedings were in the process of being initiated, continued Ramkarpal. “There’s no doubt that the AG was of the opinion that such proceedings were necessary.”
Lately, said the MP, Sirul has through an intermediary, released a number of video clips featuring himself in obviously comfortable surroundings at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney, New South Wales. “How he was able to do so remains a mystery much to the surprise of many who assumed that the Australian authorities would not allow such access to Sirul by others.”
Of greater importance, he reiterated, was the question of whether the Malaysian Government was serious in its commitment to extradite Sirul to face the sentence meted out on him by the Federal Court.
Again, Ramkarpal recalled that he had, on a number of occasions since March last year, asked the Home Minister in Parliament if the government would be initiating extradition proceedings against Sirul and the efforts proposed to be taken to ensure he was brought back to Malaysia in the event such proceedings fail.
Sirul was sentenced to death on 13 January last year by the Federal Court for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.