Daily Times

Australia’s foreign minister Wednesday defended her country’s ties with Malaysia’s former graft-ridden government after Canberra was accused of being complicit in alleged corruption by harbouring a fugitive.

Political heavyweight Anwar Ibrahim, who was imprisoned under Prime Minister Najib Razak until his shock defeat in May elections, has slammed Canberra’s ‘tainted’ policy towards the former government. Anwar cited the case of a policeman, now in Australian custody, who fled Malaysia in 2015 after being sentenced to hang for the killing of a Mongolian woman linked to a bribery scandal involving Najib’s government.

Anwar, who was released from jail after Najib’s defeat and is now presumptive successor to 93-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, has called for the policeman to be sent home to face a new trial.

During a visit to Malaysia, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia had not received an extradition request for the officer, Sirul Azhar Umar.

“In the past 61 years it has been the same government,” said Bishop, following talks with Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar’s wife and now deputy prime minister. “If we were waiting for a new government, we will be waiting for 61 years…that is patently ridiculous.”

Australia’s policy of not extraditing people to countries where they may face the death penalty is seen as a barrier to getting Sirul sent back to Malaysia. Mahathir has said that his death sentence may be commuted to allow his return to Malaysia. The policeman maintains he was ordered by “important people” to murder the Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, in 2006. Altantuya was killed and her body blown up with military-grade explosives.

Published in Daily Times, August  2^nd 2018.