Najib: Pathetic attempt to taint my political image

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak dismissed Raja Petra Kamarudin’s statutory declaration linking his wife and two others to the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaaribuu as “total lies, fabrication and total garbage.”

The Deputy Prime Minister said the allegations in the statutory declaration were a “desperate and pathetic attempt to discredit and taint my political image.”

All ears: Najib listening to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein at the press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. — Bernama

He said his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor had already given her statement to the police. The Prime Minister too would be making his recorded statement to the police.

“I welcome the police to investigate and I hope investigations will be concluded soon,” he told reporters yesterday after chairing a Cabinet committee meeting on illegal immigrants.

Raja Petra, the editor of online news portal Malaysia Today, who was charged with sedition last month for implying the Deputy Prime Minister was involved in Altantuya’s murder, made the statutory declaration on June 18 claiming to have knowledge that three other persons were present when the body of Altantuya was blown up on Oct 19, 2006.

He also claimed that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was in the know as the Prime Minister had received a written military report on the murder, which was then handed over to his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin for “safe-keeping.”

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister came to Najib’s defence. Abdullah said he had not received such a military intelligence report and that it was unacceptable for Raja Petra to make such a claim,

At yesterday’s press conference, when reporters asked Najib about it, he said: “Why are you interested in garbage? Why comment when everything is total lies, fabrication and total garbage.”

Asked about Raja Petra’s motive for making such a claim, Najib said: “I don’t know. You'd better ask him. Why ask me?”

“I’ve no conclusion except that it’s a desperate and pathetic attempt to discredit and taint my political image.”

Asked if he believed it was political motivated, Najib said: “I can’t see any other reason.”

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB