KUALA LUMPUR — Former police officer Sirul Azhar Umar, who was convicted of the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibu in 2006, claims he was made a scapegoat and that it is dangerous for him to return to Malaysia.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera English's 101 East, which was aired on Friday morning (Nov 24), Sirul also apologised to Altantuya's family and requested forgiveness.

Halfway through the interview, Sirul had an emotional breakdown.

"I'm a circumstantial victim. I'm a scapegoat, that's why I'm telling the truth. They're using me as a scapegoat," he said.

He expressed gratefulness for being released from detention.

"I'm thankful to God and thankful to the government of Australia for releasing me.

"I really, really.. I didn't expect it. Now I'm here, I hope the Australian community accepts me for who I am, I'm not a bad person," he told Aljazeera English journalist Mary Ann Jolley.

Sirul and another police officer, Azilah Hadri, were sentenced to death after being found guilty in Malaysia of the murder of 28-year-old Shaariibuu, an interpreter to a former associate of former Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Sirul fled Malaysia shortly before the verdict was handed down, and was held in an Australian immigration detention centre between January 2015 and November 2023.

His release comes just days after a landmark ruling by Australia's High Court that outlawed indefinite immigration detention, reported Reuters.

It is his first interview since being released two weeks ago from the Villawood Immigration Detention Center in Sydney.

During the interview, Sirul claimed he was not responsible for Altantuya's murder despite being found guilty by the Malaysian court.

He alleged that he was trapped in a political game, admitting to receiving RM1 million (S$286,000) while in Australia from an undisclosed source, purportedly to "silence him'.

Speaking on the murder, Sirul said he was following the orders of former chief inspector Azilah Hadri, who had told him of a 'special operation'.

"Azilah told me, this work is a special operation, for the Deputy Prime Minister of that time, Najib.

"I asked him if it was true, and he responded that it was true, and to follow him. I just obeyed because he is my superior," Sirul said.

He said Mr Azilah briefed him on the situation — that a woman was "disturbing" former political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib.

He said he did not know anything about Mr Razak Baginda, other than that he was a multi-millionaire, and had good relations with Najib.

Najib, 70, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after being found guilty of graft and money laundering in a case related to a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal.

"I joined the police when I was 19 years old, teaching me tough discipline about obedience to superior, which means yes, sir, yes, sir, yes, sir, and never say no," he said.

Sirul expressed deep-seated unfairness in his situation.

He said Mr Razak Baginda, being affluent, could afford substantial payments and evade consequences, while people like himself, unable to afford such means, were left to languish in prison.

"Some people call it a kangaroo court. If you have more money, you pay, you (get) released.

"But I had no money at that time. How can I pay?," Sirul added in frustration.

The former police officer also refused to acknowledge any evidence related to the case, including the presence of slippers in his car or the jewellery found in his jacket.

Sirul alleged that the evidence was planted to falsely incriminate him of the murder. THE NEW STRAITS TIMES