Bishop: Australia yet to receive any formal request over Sirul
AUSTRALIA has yet to receive any formal request from the Malaysian Government to extradite convicted killer Sirul Azhar Umar.
Until then, its Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said it was inappropriate for her to comment further on the matter.
“Malaysia has not made any extradition application, so it is not right for me to speculate until we receive such a request under the existing treaty between our two countries,” she told reporters after a courtesy call to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in Parliament.
Bishop is in Malaysia for a three-day diplomatic visit.
On the meeting with Dr Wan Azizah, Bishop said they discussed Malaysia’s intention to consider the abolition of the death penalty.
“This is the position that Australia has held for some time. We oppose the death penalty, both back home and abroad.
“In fact, we advocate this issue strongly as we campaign for a seat in the United Nations’ Human Rights Council,” she said.
Bishop said Australia’s position, as a matter of principle, was that extradition cases should take into account whether or not the death penalty would be applied in that country.
In 2009, Sirul and Azilah Hadri were convicted of Mongolian national Altantuya
Shaariibuu’s murder and sentenced to death.
The Court of Appeal overturned their death sentences in 2013, but it was reinstated by the Federal Court after the prosecution filed an appeal.
However, Sirul fled to Australia and was detained by Immigration officials in Sydney after Interpol issued a Red Notice for him.
He has been held at the Villawood detention camp in Sydney since 2015.