Please, Who Killed Altantuya Shaariibuu?

Two decades, one question – who ordered her killing? 

Two decades after the brutal murder of his daughter, Mongolian national Setev Shaariibuu is still seeking a single, unanswered question: who ordered the two former police officers to kill Altantuya in 2006?

[FYI, Altantuya Shaariibuu, the 28-year-old Mongolian translator and model was murdered in Malaysia in October 2006, her body destroyed with military-grade explosives in Puncak Alam on the outskirts of Shah Alam, Selangor. Convicted in 2015 for the murder were former police officers, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, who were part of then-Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak’s security detail. 

Her execution was linked to allegations of blackmail regarding a 2002 Malaysian submarine purchase, in which Altantuya was reportedly involved in procuring payment. The case drew intense scrutiny due to the involvement of Najib’s bodyguards, though he has consistently denied knowing or meeting Altantuya. 

Azilah and Sirul were convicted of the murder in 2009. Their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2013, but restored by the Federal Court. Both were sentenced to death. Sirul fled to Australia before the final verdict was announced, where he was detained, and extradition was complicated due to laws against the death penalty. As of 2024, the death sentences of the convicted were commuted to prison terms].  

Setev hopes that one day, the answer will come directly from one of those convicted - Azilah Hadri, who is serving a life sentence. 

Reiterating his desire for a “sincere apology”, Setev stressed that his pursuit of the case has never been about financial gain. 

“I am just a person who has been looking for justice for the past 20 years. I am only looking for a sincere apology, one word. I am holding on to the hope that one day, after 20 years, I will hear an apology for admitting the unlawful wrongdoing”, he said. 

Setev made the statement after Malaysia's Court of Appeal fully discharged the government from liability over Altantuya’s death on January 20, 2026. [The panel of three judges, led by Chief Judge of Malaya Hashim Hamzah also reduced the initial court-ordered damages from RM5 million to RM1.4 million payable to the deceased’s family].