Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid said today that the police have already submitted a formal extradition request via Wisma Putra to repatriate Sirul Azhar Umar from Australia.

 

“The Royal Malaysian Police, through Wisma Putra, has put in a formal request to extradite Sirul,” Zahid ( right ) told reporters today.

 

He said the extradition process would be handled by the police and the judiciary, and overseen by the Home Ministry.

 

“We have to go through a few processes, like consulting the Australian government.

 

“We have handed this task to the police and the judiciary to discuss this matter with the Australian authorities,” Zahid said.

 

Asked whether he would like to see Sirul extradited, he replied, “we will leave it to Wisma Putra to address the issue”.

Sirul, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu alongside another ex-police elite force personnel Azilah Hadri last week, was reported to have been overseas for several months.

He was reported to have been detained by Australian authorities yesterday after being put on the International Police (Interpol) watch list .

The Australian law however dictates that a person facing the death penalty in his or her home cannot be extradited.

Sirul and Azilah have both been free since Aug 23, 2013, after the Court of Appeal overturned their murder conviction by the Shah Alam High Court.

However, the Federal Court upheld the conviction.

Zahid also clarified that Sirul and Azilah has been officially discharged from the police force. 

“Both Sirul and Azlilah, technically, before this verdict but after the appeal court, they were still police officers.

“But after this verdict (Federal Court), they are automatically no more police officers,” Zahid said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Attorney-General Department told Malaysiakini in an email correspondence that they are not able to comment on the extradition.

“As a matter of long standing practice the Australian Government does not comment publicly on extradition matters, including whether it has received an extradition request, until the person is arrested or brought before a court pursuant to a request," a spokesperson said.