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Malaysia’s Najib Razak takes Islamic oath to deny claims he ordered model Altantuyaa Shaariibuu’s killing
- Najib, who is also on trial for corruption and abuse of power in the 1MDB matter, proclaimed his innocence after Friday prayers
- This comes after a death-row prisoner claimed Najib gave the order to kill Mongolian model and translator Altantuyaa Shaariibuu in 2006
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Disgraced former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, 66, on Friday took part in an Islamic oath-swearing ceremony to proclaim his innocence in the murder of Mongolian model and translator Altantuyaa Shaariibuu, just days after a policeman sentenced to death in the case claimed Najib had issued the order to kill her.
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“Since the time of entering the age of ‘taklif’ [having responsibilities] until this point, I have never ordered any individual to kill a Mongolian national named Altantuyaa Shaariibuu,” said Najib, who made the oath at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, drawing a crowd of over 1,000 people.
“I have not known or met the deceased. If I am lying, then may Allah curse me,” he said during the oath-taking, or ‘sumpah laknat’ – Malay for ‘swear curse’, which is often used to underscore a vehement rejection of an allegation or statement made against a person.
“And if I am speaking the truth, may Allah curse those who have slandered me and refuse to repent here and in the hereafter,” said Najib, who is currently on trial for over 40 charges of corruption and abuse of power linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) global financial scandal.
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After making the oath, cries of ‘Allahuakbar’ or ‘God is great’ were heard ringing through the mosque.
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