Abdul Razak sent two men to kill Altantuya, witness testifies

Abdul Razak sent two men to kill Altantuya, witness testifies
DAY 6

SHAH ALAM (June 25, 2007): The High Court here today heard that political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, who is charged with abetting the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, sent two men to throw the Mongolian woman and two others out of a hotel window.

Namiraa Gerelmaa, 23, from Ulan Bator, Mongolia, said she, Altantuya and their friend Uuriintuya Gal Ochir were visited a number of times at their hotel room by K. Suras Kumar, the assistant of a private investigator hired by the accused, to threaten to kill them.

"None of Suras' visits were friendly. Everytime (he came), he said ÔRazak Baginda send me to kill you'. Of course it was not pleasant," said Namiraa during re-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Manoj Kurup. Namiraa: Suras came to our room about two to three times in October 2006, each visit for half an hour to five hours. He once slept on our bed from 5am to 10am. We were standing around, scared and didn't sleep. Manoj: Why did he come to your room?

Namiraa: Everytime he visited, he pressured us, threatened to kill and throw us out of the window.

Namiraa said besides Suras Kumar, private investigator P. Balasubramaniam also once came to the hotel lobby and threatened to throw them out of the hotel room window.

Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin: Did you yourself hear that Bala wanted to throw you out of the window? Namiraa: I was told by Altantuya. She was crying and telling us.

Namiraa, who is Altantuya's cousin, said Altantuya and Uuriintuya lodged a police report the next day about the threat by Balasubramaniam and Suras Kumar.

Namiraa: The three of us were under pressure. Bala and Suras always threatened to throw us out of the window. Every time Suras came to our hotel room between 3am and 4am, knocking our door. Bala and Suras always said Razak Baginda was going to kill us. So, in the morning, Uuriintuya and Altantuya went to the police station to lodge a report. I knew she was under a lot of pressure.

Namiraa denied that Suras Kumar had a close relationship with one of them, as earlier suggested by Razak's counsel Wong Kian Kheong.

Namiraa, when questioned by Wong during cross-examination, had said that the threat from Balasubramaniam and Suras Kumar began four days after their arrival in Malaysia last Oct 8.

Namiraa: Suras was knocking our room door three or four days, so we called the hotel manager.

KK Wong: When Suras and Bala threatened to throw you out of the window, did you lodge a police report against them?

Namiraa: No.

KK Wong: How many days approximately that the late Altantuya went missing after she lodged the police report?

Namiraa: She made the report against Suras and Bala in the afternoon of Oct 19.

KK Wong: Despite all these threats and after the late Altantuya lodged a report, the three of you still went to the third accused's house by taxi in the evening of Oct 19?

Namiraa: Yes.

KK Wong: After all of you went back to the hotel, you said Altantuya wanted to go alone to the third accused's house. Did you ask why she persisted to go after many failed attempts to meet him?

Namiraa: Uuriintuya asked.

KK Wong: In view of the threats and the report lodged, were you worried for Altantuya's safety when she went alone to the third accused's house?

Namiraa: Yes, I was so worried.

KK Wong: Despite your worry, you still allowed Altantuya to go and see the third accused alone?

Namiraa: Yes.

KK Wong: I put it to you that the third accused never threatened the three of you.

Namiraa: Of course he did, he sent someone.

Namiraa also disagreed with counsel's suggestion that Abdul Razak did not send the two men to threaten the three of them.

She also claimed she had never asked from Abdul Razak for money or air ticket to return to Mongolia, adding she did not know whetherAltantuya had asked for money from the accused. She was further queried by Wong on her intention of coming to Malaysia on Oct 8.

KK Wong: You mentioned last Friday that you and Uuriintuya came toMalaysia to study.

Namiraa: Not to study but to find out about the English course available in Malaysia.

KK Wong: Do you agree that you can find out about the course inMongolia itself? In the Internet?

Namiraa: I disagree.

KK Wong: Have you been to any university or college offering English course?

Namiraa: No, I only called.

KK Wong: Which university or college?

Namiraa: HELP Centre.

Questioned further, Namiraa disagreed with counsel's suggestion that she could contact the institute direct from Mongolia without coming to Malaysia, saying that she was not proficient in English (to talk to HELP).

She also denied lying about the purpose of her visit, and during re-examination, stated that it was to see the country and to find about the language course that she could pursue, and not to threaten anyone.

Questioned by counsel Hazman Abdullah, who is representing Chief Insp Azilah Hadri, Namiraa said she followed the news on Altantuya's death on TV on Nov 27 after her return to Mongolia.

Balasubramaniam threatened to throw me, two others out of window: Namiraa

SHAH ALAM (June 25, 2007): Namiraa Gerelmaa, the third witness in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial, told the High Court here today that she saw Altantuya crying when Abdul Razak Baginda's private investigator P.Balasubramaniam threatned to throw her and two others out of the hotel room window.

She said Balasubramaniam told Altantuya that he wanted to throw her, friend Gal Ochir Uuriintuya and her out of the window.

During re-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Manoj Kurup, she said Altantuya told her and Uuriintuya of the threat by Subramaniam.

Namiraa, 23, said Balasubramaniam came to the lobby of Hotel Malaya where they stayed. She also testified that Balasubramaniam's assistant K. Suras Kumar came to their hotel room two or three times last October, each time fo rhalf an hour to five hours.

She said Suras Kumar once came at 5am and slept in their room until 10am, reports Bernama today.

"We were so frightened. We were standing around and didn't sleep. He (Suras Kumar) slept on one of our beds," she said.

Namiraa denied Suras Kumar was close to them, instead, she said, each time he visited them, he pressured and threatened to throw them out ofthe window.

Manoj Kurup: So it would be correct to say that none of Suras Kumar's visits were friendly?

Namiraa: Everytime he (Suras Kumar) came, he said Razak Baginda sent me to kill you. Of course it was not pleasant.

To a question whether she (Namiraa) stopped Altantuya from going to Abdul Razak's house alone, Namiraa replied: "Yes I did ... I told her not togo there alone, that we should go together."

Namiraa denied coming to Malaysia to blackmail anybody nor was she demanding any air ticket from Abdul Razak to return to Mongolia.

She said she came to Malaysia because she wanted to see Malaysia and also to find out the possibility of studying English here.

When asked whether she knew Altantuya had demanded money from Abdul Razak, she answered "No".