Now, PAS wonders why Najib was quick to dismiss Sirul’s claim

PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar finds it strange that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak briskly dismissed of Sirul Azhar Umar’s claims that he had acted under orders in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, February 20, 2015.A PAS leader today questioned why Datuk Seri Najib Razak too quick to dismiss Sirul Azhar Umar’s claims that he had acted under orders in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, saying the Prime Minister (PM) should welcome the claim and call for an immediate investigation.PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar said Najib's response yesterday raised a lot of questions as Sirul, a former police commando, did not mention or name Najib in his claims.Najib, when met by reporters at the Chinese New Year party organised by the MCA yesterday, rubbished Sirul's claims that he and his colleague former chief inspector Azilah Hadri were ordered by "important people" to kill Altantuya."It is strange because Sirul did not even mention the PM. Why would he respond that way?" said Mahfuz.He said Najib should have welcomed Sirul's revelation and call for an immediate investigation into the matter.Mahfuz said there is no denying the possibility that Sirul decided to make such claims because he is already "out of the clutches" of the "important people who had the motive", as he had mentioned in a recent interview with Malaysiakini.On Tuesday, Sirul, who has been detained in Australia, had said he was under orders to kill Altantuya.The 43-year-old also told Malaysiakini that he never knew Altantuya or even Abdul Razak Baginda – the political analyst and a known close associate of Najib – who was acquitted with abetting the Mongolian's murder.The Court of Appeal in 2013 acquitted Sirul and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, saying there was serious misdirection by trial judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Yasin, which included not calling their superior officer, then deputy superintendent Musa Safri.The three-man appellate court said the failure to put Musa on the witness stand was important to the prosecution to unfold the narrative of its case.On January 13, a five-man Federal Court bench led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria sentenced the men to be hanged, overturning the Court of Appeal's decision. – February 20, 2015