PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has fixed Feb 25 next year to hear an application by Altantuya Shaariibuu’s family for leave to appeal against a ruling reducing damages over her murder.
Lawyer Abraham Au, representing political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, said the date was set following case management before Federal Court deputy registrar Rohaiza Hamzah yesterday.
He said the court also fixed Dec 3 to hear the family’s application to amend its notice of motion seeking leave to appeal.
Altantuya’s family filed the leave application on Feb 19 this year after the Court of Appeal reduced the damages awarded to them from RM5 million to RM1.4 million.
On Jan 20, the appellate court also ruled that the government was not vicariously liable for the actions of former police officers Sirul Azhar Umar and Azilah Hadri.
The family of the murdered Mongolian citizen had filed a RM100 million civil suit against Abdul Razak, Azilah, Sirul Azhar and the government in 2007, claiming her death caused them mental shock and psychological trauma.
In 2022, the Shah Alam High Court ordered the defendants to pay RM5 million in damages to the family.
Azilah and Sirul Azhar were convicted of Altantuya’s murder in 2009. The Court of Appeal later acquitted them, before the Federal Court overturned the acquittals and reinstated their convictions in 2015.
In 2023, the Federal Court commuted Azilah’s death sentence to 40 years’ imprisonment after allowing his review application under the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023.