Khairy denies having military report on Altantuya murder

The Star : Thursday June 26, 2008


KUALA LUMPUR: Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin has denied that he is in possession of a military intelligence report on the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaaribuu.

He said the allegation against him in Raja Petra Kamarudin’s statutory declaration of June 18 was “malicious” because it suggested that he (Khairy) was concealing knowledge of a crime. He said he had given his statement to the police on the matter on Tuesday night.

“I told the police that I have never received any military intelligence report on the murder of Altantuya from the Prime Minister or from any other quarters. Nor have I received any other report from anyone about the murder.

“I don’t have, I’ve not kept any such report and I don’t know anything about the murder. “I told the police that the statutory declaration including the allegations against me was made with bad intention because it was totally false,” he told reporters yesterday at the Parliament lobby.

Raja Petra, the editor of news portal Malaysia Today, claimed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had received a written military report on the murder which he handed over to his son-in-law Khairy for “safe-keeping.”

Khairy said the allegation in the statutory declaration against him was “damaging to his credibility.”

“I don’t know what his (Raja Petra) motive is. The statutory declaration is based on hearsay and “sources” in a case which is very sensitive. There is no truth to it at all. I consider this a malicious act,” he said.

Asked why he had waited a week before going to the police, Khairy said that when he read about it and that a police report had been lodged by the Attorney-General against Raja Petra, he knew he would be called up.

“So why should I say anything about it before making the statement,” he said.

On whether he was surprised about being implicated in the Altantuya murder, Khairy replied: “From the publisher of the Khairy Chronicles (in Malaysia Today), I am not surprised.”