Malaysia's Murderer Freed from Australian Immigration Detention

A man convicted of a high-profile murder in Malaysia has been released from immigration detention in Australia. Sirul Azhar Umar, a former bodyguard to ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak, was found guilty of killing Altantuya Shaariibuu, a model and interpreter connected to Razak. Sirul fled to Australia in 2015 before his case reached its conclusion. The murder case generated widespread attention due to allegations of political interference. After having his asylum claim rejected in 2019, Sirul had been held by immigration authorities for nearly nine years. However, a recent ruling by Australia's High Court outlawing indefinite immigration detention led to the unexpected release of several asylum seekers, including Sirul. The Australian government will not deport him back to Malaysia since the country has a policy against extraditing individuals to countries where they could face execution. Shaariibuu, a Mongolian national, was discovered dead in a jungle on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in 2006, having been shot in the head and blown up with explosives. Sirul and another former police officer, Azilah Hadri, were convicted for her murder in 2009 and handed the death penalty. Both individuals appealed the decision, but their sentences were ultimately upheld in 2015. The two were part of a special unit that provided security to top politicians, including Najib, who had faced accusations of interfering in the investigation of Shaariibuu's murder. Despite denying any involvement in her case and claiming not to have met her, Najib's former associate, Abdul Razak Baginda, was initially arrested for assisting in the murder but later had the charges against him dropped. Baginda went on to admit to having an affair with Shaariibuu. Sirul made a cryptic statement in the past, suggesting that he was being sacrificed as a scapegoat in the case, fueling various political conspiracy theories. Campaign groups have also alleged that Shaariibuu was killed to prevent her from exposing alleged corruption involving high-ranking Malaysian officials. Earlier this year, Malaysia's parliament voted to abolish the country's mandatory death penalty, and no executions have taken place in the past five years. Sirul's co-accused, Azilah, remains on death row.