Former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak allegedly gave the order to kill Altantuya Shaariibuu, a model and Mongolian mother of two, a statutory declaration published by Malaysiakini said.

This shocking allegation was given by ex-police commando Azilah Hadri, who was convicted of Altantuya's murder along with Sirul Azhar Umar, Najib's former bodyguard.

However, Najib has denied these claims, saying that this was an attempt to distract attention from the death-row inmate, according to Malay Mail.

Atlantuya had an affair with a close aide of Najib

Atlantuya was a model and a translator, who grew up in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

In 2004, she met a married Malaysian political analyst named Abdul Razak Baginda, a friend and associate of Najib, who served as Najib's advisor between 2000 and 2008, according to CNA.

The two had an affair, but by 2006, relations between the two had soured, and Razak reportedly ended the relationship.

Later that year, Altantuya went to Malaysia, along with her sister and cousin, to track down Razak.

According to Malaysiakini, she was picked up in front of Razak's house by police personnel, and was never seen again.

Three weeks later, her remains were founded in a forested area near Puncak Alam, and evidence showed that she had been blown up with explosives.

Azilah and Sirul, who were both Najib's former bodyguards, had reportedly never met Altantuya prior to her murder.

Najib gave "shoot to kill" order verbally

In his statutory declaration, Azilah claimed that Najib gave him the "shoot to kill" order verbally during a meeting on Oct. 17, 2006.

Najib was both the deputy prime minister and the defence minister at the time.

He claimed that Najib told him to destroy Altantuya's body, and dispose of the evidence, as she was allegedly a "foreign spy", and posed a threat to Malaysia's security.

When Najib was asked what was meant by arresting and destroying the foreign spy, he reportedly answered "shoot to kill", while showing the sign of slitting the throat.

After Azilah questioned the then deputy prime minister what he meant by "destroying that foreign spy's body", Najib allegedly replied: "Destroy the foreign spy's body to get rid of traces."

Najib also allegedly ordered Azilah to blow up her body using explosives, after discussing methods to destroy the body.

Azilah claimed he was only following Najib's orders

The Star reported that the statutory declaration was filed on Oct. 17, 2019, as part of Azilah's application in seeking a Federal Court review.

He is also seeking a re-trial in order to provide full evidence on the reportedly covert operation, so that "justice will be served".

According to Malay Mail, Azilah said in the same statutory declaration that he had no motive to kill Altantuya, claiming that he was only following Najib's alleged order in leading a secret operation that involved national security.

Azilah claimed that he was assured that he would be protected and not charged in court in relation to the operation that he conducted under Najib's orders, and that the alleged order by Najib was not done in writing.

Najib claimed that this is a ruse to detain him without bail

In response, Najib claimed that these allegations were a ploy by ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan to allow the authorities to detain him without bail, according to Malaysiakini.

He claimed that Pakatan Harapan is suffering from a "one-term government phobia", and that they were forced to make up a new "conspiracy" to slander him.

"I was also told that the new story from Harapan (regarding Altantuya's murder) would open the way for the government to detain and imprison me without bail because there is no bail for murder cases," he said.

Malaysiakini reported that Najib dismissed Azilah's claims as a "complete fabrication by a desperate person seeking to escape the gallows", and questioned why Azilah did not provide this information earlier.

"Why did this information not come out earlier, and only now, more than a decade after her death and only after 19 months Harapan has been in power?"

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