A man who was convicted of a notorious murder that happened in Malaysia has been freed from Australian immigration prison.
Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old model and interpreter connected to the late Prime Minister Najib Razak, was assassinated by Sirul Azhar Umar in 2006.
A former security for Malaysia’s elite, Mr. Sirul left the country in 2015 before his case was resolved and escaped to Australia.
Years have passed since the murder because of claims of political meddling.
Mr. Sirul was detained by immigration authorities for over nine years following the denial of his asylum plea in 2019.
His release comes after the High Court of Australia issued a historic decision last week that prohibited detaining immigrants indefinitely. This decision led to the unanticipated release of dozens of asylum seekers, some of whom had been detained due to national security concerns.
Because it is customary for the Australian government to refrain from extraditing individuals to nations where they risk capital punishment, Mr. Sirul will not be sent back to Malaysia.
In 2006, a Mongolian woman named Ms. Shaariibuu was discovered dead in a bush outside of Kuala Lumpur. After taking a bullet to the head, she was detonated by explosives.
In 2009, Mr. Sirul and another ex-police officer, Azilah Hadri, were found guilty and sentenced to death in connection with her death. In 2015, both filed an appeal of the decision, but their sentences were ultimately maintained.
The two were members of an elite special squad in Malaysia that was assigned to guard high-ranking MPs, including Mr. Najib, who had earlier been charged with meddling in the murder probe of Ms. Shaariibuu.
Mr. Najib has maintained on several occasions that he never met Ms. Shaariibuu and had nothing to do with her case.
Former Najib associate Abdul Razak Baginda was also detained for aiding and abetting the murder, however the allegations against him were later withdrawn. Afterwards, he came clean about having an affair with Ms. Shaariibuu.
