The long-awaited murder trial of a political analyst in the death of his Mongolian lover started Monday with prosecutors promising to prove that the defendant conspired with two policemen to blow up the victim.
The case has turned into one of Malaysia's most lurid scandals. The defendant, Abdul Razak Baginda, is close to the governing party as well as Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, and the extramarital affair with Altantuya Shaariibuu and her macabre death have been the talk of the country.
The Malaysian government has sought to distance itself from the case because of the close ties between the ruling establishment and Abdul Razak, who ran a well-known research group until his arrest last year.
Najib has rejected accusations by the opposition that he knows more about the murder than he has revealed, and there are no signs that the scandal has tainted the government.
The trial has been dogged by one controversy after another. The trial judge, the prosecution team and at least one defense lawyer were replaced even before hearings began, prompting the country's opposition to condemn the delays.
Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah told the court that he had evidence that Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old freelance translator and interpreter, was killed by police on Oct. 19, 2006. Shaariibuu was shot in the head twice and her body blown up with plastic explosives in a jungle.
The prosecutor said he would prove that Abdul Razak, 47, "abetted them by planning and giving instructions to get rid of her by killing her" because she was pestering him for money.
Abdul Razak is charged with abetting the murder. The two policemen - Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Constable Sirul Azhar Umar - are charged with murder. If convicted, all three face the death penalty.
After their arrest, Azilah led the police to a jungle clearing near Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor State, where the remains of Shaariibuu's body were found.
Abdul Razak has acknowledged having an eight-month extramarital affair with Shaariibuu, starting in late 2004.
Tun Abdul said that after the affair ended, Shaariibuu continued to visit Malaysia. The last time she came was on Oct. 8, 2006, when she left several notes for Abdul Razak.
"The deceased in one of her notes to the accused said that if he refused to give her money his child's life will be in danger," he told the court.
The trial was scheduled to start June 4, but was postponed after the attorney general replaced the prosecutor abruptly on the grounds that he was seen playing badminton with the judge.
On Monday, Karpal Singh, the lawyer for Shaariibuu's family, sought to have the judge dismissed from the case, saying he was the third cousin of a defense lawyer's late wife. But Judge Mohammad Zaki turned down the request, saying the woman was dead and that he had "no personal interest whatsoever" in the case.
The three accused were brought to court in handcuffs.
Before entering the room, a tearful Abdul Razak hugged his wife who was wearing a T-shirt that said "Mrs. Abdul Razak Baginda." On the back was written: "And Proud of It."
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