Ex-IGP's Twitter shootout continues over Altantuya murder

Since news of Azilah Hadri's statutory declaration (SD) broke, former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has been preoccupied with defending himself on Twitter.

The tweet-for-tat continued to this evening, with Musa (above) arguing that justice should be served through the courts and not social media.

“Wait for the findings of the investigation on the truth [of the SD], no need to act in a hasty manner,” he added.

Musa was responding to a Twitter user who urged him to reveal the truth.

Earlier, another Twitter user asked if Musa would also perform a sumpah laknat following former premier Najib Abdul Razak announcing that he is willing to risk divine retribution to prove his innocence with regard to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

“It is best if you do it. People don't know who you are,” replied the former police chief in reference to those criticising him using anonymous Twitter handles.

Musa was also quizzed on the failure to establish a motive for the killing, to which he said: “Have you read the MLJ [Malayan Law Journal]? All the witnesses who gave evidence are recorded including the comments from the judge during the trial.”

The argument also took several divine twists, one of which was when another user said: "You can cheat your conscience but not God". Remember this till your last days in this world.”

The user with the handle @imfsea_aruna also tagged the Twitter accounts of Najib and former Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein.

Musa, who often posts messages related to religion on Twitter, argued: “Cheating your conscience is similar to cheating God. Only those who don't believe in God have no conscience.”

Musa was the federal police chief during the murder of Altantuya in 2006. Investigations had subsequently cleared Najib of any involvement.

However, Azilah, in his statutory declaration (SD), alleged that Najib (photo), who was the deputy premier then, had instructed him to kill the Mongolian national after convincing him that she was a foreign spy who threatened national security.

The former police special action force (UTK) officer is seeking a review of the Federal Court's decision in 2015 to reinstate his conviction and death sentence.

The Court of Appeal had initially acquitted him and another UTK personnel Sirul Azhar Umar of the murder. The latter fled to Australia and is currently in an immigration detention centre in Sydney.

Earlier, Musa also shared a news article from the Malaysia Gazette on Najib's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah claiming that Azilah could have been brought out of the Kajang prison to meet a VVIP in February, suggesting the existence of a political plot to implicate his client.

“As someone experienced and well-versed in law, it is not possible for Shafee to simply make such an explosive statement. If true, it would appear that the '1989 dark episode' will return to tarnish the nation's image,” read the article.

The article was referring to a Malay Mail report in 1989 on how the former managing director of the now-defunct Malaysian Overseas Investment Corporation (MOIC) Abdullah Ang was given privileged treatment during his incarceration in Kajang prison.

Apart from his cell being equipped with a refrigerator, carpet and water bed, he also reportedly when in and out of prison as he pleased.

The well-connected businessperson was sentenced to eight years in prison for criminal breach of trust in December 1986.

This afternoon, the Prisons Department said Azilah has not left the Kajang prison since 2015 but Shafee claimed the denial did not come as a surprise.