There should be an independent inquiry into the conduct of the prosecution in the Altantuya case.
The Court of Appeal today allowed the appeal of Kpl Sirul and Azilah citing amongst other things, a failure on part of the prosecution to call a material witness, one DSP Musa Safri, a former aide de camp of the Prime Minister.
The Attorney General and his team ought to have known that this was an important witness. They have, one would assume, vast experience in handling cases like these and they know for a fact that they would run a serious risk of having their case thrown out for failure of calling these important witnesses.
So why did they choose to take the risk, which has now come to serve as one of the reasons for the collapse of their case?
Many questions have arisen. Of the most serious is concern over whether or not there has been proper investigations and a proper presentation of evidence in court.
We cannot allow these concerns to go unanswered. There must be an independent inquiry, by people who are not associated with the AG’s chambers to review the investigation papers and to report back as to the propriety of the conduct of the prosecution in this case.
I call for this inquiry in my capacity as Member of Parliament, having serious concerns about the negative perception now looming over the office of the Attorney General as a result of this case.
We must always ensure that the public has full confidence at all times in the AG’s chambers and this demand is made in consideration of and in keeping with that.