KUALA LUMPUR: Former Mongolian prime minister Zandanshatar Gombojav has called on the Malaysian government to consider specific demands relating to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Speaking as the Special Envoy of the Government of Mongolia on the case, he said the matter must be resolved even after two decades.
Zandanshatar said his government had formally submitted its diplomatic demands to the Malaysian embassies in Bangkok, Thailand, and Beijing, China, seeking fair consideration of the family’s legal challenge, free from political or external interference.
“Our requests are specific and very common, which are fair consideration of the family’s challenge, free from political or other external interference.
“Lawful examination of any new or previously unexamined evidence and obtaining of relevant testimony and official information about the proceedings,” he told reporters at a press conference.
On Friday, the High Court postponed until Jan 12, 2027, the hearing of a judicial review application filed by Altantuya’s father.
The application seeks to compel police to investigate supplementary affidavits and a statutory declaration by former police officer Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri.
Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, who represents Altantuya’s father, Dr Shaariibuu Setev, said the adjournment followed the respondents’ request to file an affidavit in reply to one submitted by her client that day.
In the application, Shaariibuu named the Inspector-General of Police, the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director, the police, the Attorney-General and the Malaysian government as respondents.
Zandanshatar said it was his government’s duty to protect its citizens, and that this responsibility did not end at its borders or change with a change in administration.
“This case concerns the life of a Mongolian citizen and a family that has spent 20 years seeking answers.
“A government’s responsibility towards its citizens does not stop at the border, and it should not disappear when officeholders change.
“That responsibility means practical assistance, sustained diplomatic attention, and respect for the law,” he said.
He said pursuing the case demonstrated that the lives of Mongolian citizens mattered.
Zandanshatar praised the warm bilateral ties between the two countries, noting that Mongolia was raising the issue openly and respectfully because it valued its friendship with Malaysia.
“We raise this matter openly and respectfully because we value that friendship. A fair resolution matters greatly to the family and to trust between our peoples,” he said.
Altantuya, 28, was last seen on Oct 19, 2006, in Bukit Damansara before police investigations led to the discovery of her remains in a forested area in Mukim Bukit Raja, Shah Alam.
Two former police commandos were later convicted of her murder, although civil proceedings and questions surrounding the case have continued for two decades.
On Oct 10, 2024, the Federal Court commuted Azilah’s death sentence to 40 years’ imprisonment and 12 strokes of the rotan after allowing his review application in connection with Altantuya’s murder.