Investigators are closing in on the Altantuya trail in the controversial Scorpenes acquisition. According to top Malaysian NGO, Suaram, plane tickets in the name of the slain Mongolian translator, her lover Razak Baginda and "more persons" have been discovered during.
"We found out that there were plane tickets to Hong Kong in the name of Altantuya, Razak and more persons," Cynthia Gabriel, a Suaram directior, told reporters.
The latest findings that a mystery third-man had travelled with Baginda and Altantuya has sizzled the country, with many believing the 'missing link' was none other than Prime Minister Najib Razak himself.
Such evidence would debunk Najib's claims that he never knew Altantuya, and provide new evidence to support the re-opening of her murder case.
Questionmarks still abound
Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was 28 when she was controversially murdered in Malaysia in 2006, is believed to have acted as a go-between for Baginda, who was negotiating for Malaysia's purchase of 2 Scorpene and an Agosta submarine from French firm DCN in the early 2000s.
Razak has been accused of being Prime Minister Najib Razak's proxy in receiving kickbacks from DCN. At that time, Najib was the Defense minister and he had sanctioned the deal.
Altantuya, who allegedly had affairs with both Baginda and Najib, had returned to Malaysia to collect her US$500,000 share of the commission. But she was killed by two former bodyguards of Najib's, who have both been sentenced to hang for her murder.
However, there is still public dissatisfaction as many believe that the former cops had been 'ordered' to murder her and the masterminds behind them not brought to justice yet.
Hearing soon
The French courts are investigating a complaint lodged by Suaram, on behalf of Malaysian taxpayers, over the widespread allegations that DCN had paid 'commission' to Razak, thereby inflating the overall price paid by the Malaysian government.
Suaram lawyers are due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur later this month to brief citizen groups about the latest devlopments in the case. The French courts are likely to begin hearing the case next month.
That could well be a potential hot potato for Najib, who is already facing enormous pressure over a free-and-fair elections rally held in the Malaysian capital over the weekend.
