KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — The government must set up an independent inquiry to review the prosecution team’s conduct in the murder trial of Mongolian Altantuya Shaaribuu, DAP’s Gobind Singh Deo said today.

The Puchong MP said that he has concerns about the negative perception he claimed, was looming over the Attorney-General as a result of the case.

“Many questions have arisen. Of the most serious is concern over whether or not there has been proper investigations and a proper presentation of evidence in court. ”There must be an independent inquiry, by people who are not associated with the AG’s chambers to review the investigation papers and to report back as to the propriety of the conduct of the prosecution in this case,” he said.

Earlier today, two former police commandos convicted of killing the Mongolian model, successfully defeated their 2009 conviction after the Court of Appeal overturned the decision on the high-profile 2006 murder.

In a unanimous decision by a three-man panel, the appellate court ruled that Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar be allowed to appeal their charges.

The panel of Datuk Seri Mohamed Apandi Ali, Datuk Linton Albert and Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat decided that the High Court had erred when it had made its decision in the murder scandal.

“The Court of Appeal today allowed the appeal of Kpl Sirul and Azilah citing amongst other things, a failure on part of the prosecution to call a material witness, one DSP Musa Safri, a former aide de camp of the Prime Minister. ”The Attorney General and his team ought to have known that this was an important witness,” the DAP legal bureau chief said.

“They have, one would assume, vast experience in handling cases like these and they know for a fact that they would run a serious risk of having their case thrown out for failure of calling these important witnesses.” Gobind said the public should always have full confidence in the AG’s chambers and that his demand for an independent inquiry is made in consideration of and in keeping with that.

“We cannot allow these concerns to go unanswered,” the lawyer said.

Azilah and Sirul, both formerly with the police’s Special Action Unit (UTK), were found guilty in 2009 of committing the offence in Mukim Bukit Raja in Klang between 10pm on October 19, 2006 and 1am on October 20, 2006.

During the course of their trial, it was revealed that the Mongolian model was shot and her body blown-up with explosives in a jungle clearing on the night of October 19.

The two had been charged under section 149 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction. 

Azilah and Sirul will be released from Sungai Buloh Prison today once documentation is complete.

The prosecution led by Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah said it will appeal today’s decision.