Altantuya’s father files fresh suit to compel full probe into Azilah’s 2006 murder claims

Altantuya’s father files fresh suit to compel full probe into Azilah’s 2006 murder claims



Dr Shaariibuu Setev holds a press conference in Putrajaya on June 19, 2018. — Picture by Azinuddin Ghazali

Thursday, 28 Aug 2025 11:19 AM MYT

• Altantuya Shaariibuu’s father wants the High Court to order Malaysia’s police to investigate her convicted murderer’s claims of carrying out orders to kill her in 2006.
• Ex-police commando Azilah Hadri had in 2019 and 2024 made the same claim of getting orders from a government official to kill Altantuya, with Altantuya’s father saying that the attorney general had only disputed the claims in 2019 and not in 2024.
• Altantuya’s father wants to know what the police found in its 2019 probe on Azilah’s claims, and also if the police are still investigating the claims.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — The father of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu is seeking court orders to compel Malaysian police to fully investigate claims that her 2006 murder was carried out on the orders of senior government officials.

Shaariibuu Setev’s legal challenge centres on a statutory declaration made by former police commando Azilah Hadri, who claimed in court documents that he was ordered by then-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to kill and dispose of Altantuya.


Najib has consistently denied these allegations.

Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo today confirmed that she has filed a judicial review application on behalf of Altantuya’s father.


“We have been instructed by our client, Dr Shaariibuu Setev, to file an application for judicial review, for orders to, among others, compel authorities to investigate or complete investigations into the contents of Azilah Hadri’s additional affidavit dated 24th September, 2024 containing statutory declaration dated 17th October, 2019,” she said in a brief statement.


The lawsuit was filed at the High Court here on August 25, and names the inspector-general of police (IGP), the director of the police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Royal Malaysia Police, the attorney general, and the government of Malaysia as respondents.

Key demands

Shaariibuu is seeking several specific court orders, including:

• an order to compel the respondents to inform him in detail, within seven days, of the status and outcome of any police investigation into Azilah’s claims since 2019.
• if the investigation is ongoing, an order for it to be completed within one month and for the results to be shared with him in detail.
• if investigations on Azilah's claims has been classified as requiring “No Further Action” (NFA), an order compelling the respondents to explain in detail why.
• for the court to decide on compensation to be paid to him over the respondents’ failure to provide updates on the investigation.

As Shaariibuu has filed this case as a judicial review application, he will need to first get the High Court’s leave or permission for his case to proceed to be heard.

Shaariibuu’s court case is scheduled to appear on September 29 before High Court judge Datuk Aliza Sulaiman.

Here’s why Altantuya’s father is seeking these court orders

In 2015, the Federal Court ruled that Azilah and his fellow former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar were guilty of Altantuya’s 2006 murder, with both of them sentenced to death.

In December 2019, Azilah gave the Federal Court his October 2019 statutory declaration, where he claimed to have received orders to carry out a “covert operation” to kill Altantuya and dispose of her body. This was part of his unsuccessful court bid to review his conviction and death sentence.

In October 2024, the Federal Court allowed Azilah’s application under new laws to review his mandatory death sentence, and replaced it with 40 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane.



In October 2024, the Federal Court allowed Azilah’s application under new laws to review his mandatory death sentence, and replaced it with 40 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa



The Federal Court’s 2024 decision was based partly on Azilah’s September 2024 additional affidavit, which had included his entire October 2019 statutory declaration.

In court papers for his lawsuit filed on Monday, Altantuya’s father said the attorney general had in 2019 disputed Azilah’s claims in the statutory declaration, but the attorney general in the 2024 case did not dispute the same claims in Azilah’s additional affidavit.

Altantuya’s father said he had via his lawyers written multiple letters to Malaysian authorities to ask about investigations into Azilah’s claims, including to the home minister (on October 23, 2024), attorney general (March 20 this year), and the IGP (this April 17).

Altantuya’s father said the police’s CID director on May 14 sent an email to say the CID had in 2019 already investigated Azilah’s claims, but that the email did not give more information.

Altantuya’s father said he then wrote on May 14 to the CID director to ask for the results of the 2019 investigation on Azilah’s claims, and to ask for the current status of the investigation if it is still ongoing.

Since there has been no response to his May 14 letter, Altantuya’s father filed this court case to challenge the respondents’ refusal or failure to inform him of both the 2019 investigation outcome and the status of the latest investigation.


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