World · Malaysia Bureau
Malaysia could draft Sirul extradition letter in 30 minutes, says ex-AG
Former Attorney-General Tommy Thomas says Malaysia only needs to provide assurances to Australia without political commitment to extradite death row inmate Sirul Mahmood. Thomas suggested the extradition letter could be prepared swiftly if the government decided to proceed.
LSN Malaysia ·
Malaysia could prepare an extradition letter for death row inmate Sirul Mahmood in just 30 minutes if the government chose to do so, according to former Attorney-General Tommy Thomas. Speaking on the prolonged legal case, Thomas said Malaysia would only need to furnish certain undertakings to Australia, without requiring any overarching political commitment to extradite the former police commando. The ex-AG's remarks underline the administrative simplicity of the extradition process should the Malaysian government decide to move forward with the matter. Sirul has been held in an Australian detention facility since 2015 after fleeing Malaysia over his conviction in the death of political analyst Altantuya Shaariibuu. The case has remained contentious, with Malaysia maintaining it does not extradite its nationals while Australia has sought his return to face capital punishment. Thomas's comments suggest that bureaucratic and legal obstacles need not be impediments should Malaysia's political leadership resolve to take action on the extradition request.