A last-minute switch in the prosecution team handling a politically sensitive murder trial is a black eye for Malaysian justice, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said today.

He also called for a thorough investigation into allegations that "third parties" interfered in the case of two police officers and political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The trial was to begin on Monday but when court opened, the prosecution immediately asked for a delay, saying they had only been handed the case the day before.

"Twenty-four hours after the sudden turn of events, no responsible or credible explanation is yet forthcoming from the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail," said Lim.

Abdul Razak is charged with abetting the murder of his former lover, Altantuya Shaariibuu, 28.

She was killed last October and her body blown up in a jungle clearing in Shah Alam district, southwest of Kuala Lumpur.

Two police officers - members of a police unit that guards the country's top leaders, including the prime minister and his deputy - are charged with the murder.

Analysts view the trial as a key test of Malaysia's judicial and political integrity. Najib, who is also the defence minister, has vehemently denied any involvement in the case.

AG's explanation dismissed

Lim said the sudden change in prosecutors was "a black-eye for the Malaysian system of justice" and dismissed the explanation offered by Abdul Gani.

The attorney-general said he installed the new team to ensure a "fair trial" for all parties, according to a report in the New Straits Times.

"My interest is to ensure that the public knows exactly what happened and how the police investigated the case," he was quoted saying.

Abdul Gani could not be immediately reached to comment on the report.

Lim said the attorney-general must explain what was wrong with the original prosecution team, and why he changed the prosecutors "only at the eleventh-hour" and not earlier, given that trial dates had been fixed almost three months ago.

The newly-assigned lead prosecutor, Tun Majid Tun Hamzah, told the High Court he did not know why he had been handed the file of more than 100 investigation reports.

"I was only informed of this yesterday in the evening when I was on my way home," he said, asking for one month to prepare.

"It's beyond me. I simply cannot prosecute this case at such short notice," he said.

Attempts to interfere

The judge agreed to a two-week postponement. The trial is now to begin on June 18.

In another twist on Monday, Zulkifli Noordin said he could no longer act in defence of one of the accused policemen.

"There were serious attempts by third parties to interfere with the defence that I proposed," he said, declining to elaborate.

"A full and thorough investigation should be conducted to get to the bottom of Zulkifli's allegation," Lim said.