Media teleconference with Sirul still on, says Mahfuz

PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar isconfident the local media will have their chance to speak to Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar on Monday via a teleconference call. – The Malaysian Insider pic, February 22, 2015.PAS today has confirmed that the teleconference session with former police commando Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar will go ahead as planned despite reports that no green light was given by the Australian Immigration Department.

PAS information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar told The Malaysian Insider today that the session, which is expected to last about 15 minutes, will be held around 11.30am at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Declining to elaborate on the details of the teleconference, the Pokok Sena MP said the reason for the session is to give a chance to the Malaysian media to have a chat with Sirul, who is now detained in Australia.

"I'm not sure of the details... because he spoke to Malaysiakini before this, I feel now is the time to give others the chance to talk to him," he said.

When asked if he was aware of reports by the Australian media that authorities have yet to approve the session and that interviews within detention centres were not generally allowed, Mahfuz replied in the negative.

"I do not know about that," he said.

On Friday, Mahfuz said the 15-minute teleconference with Sirul, who was sentenced to death by the Federal Court alongside Lance Corporal Azilah Hadri last month, will be organised on February 23.

"He will give his commitment. He is just waiting for the right time. He will inform me so that I can announce it to the media." he said.

The move followed Sirul's readiness to come clean on his role in the Altantuya saga, following a phone interview he gave to news portal Malaysiakini recently.

Sirul had, among others, said he was only taking orders, a claim immediately rubbished by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday, leading to renewed public interest in the case.

- TMI