Abdul Razak Baginda
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Abdul Razak Baginda (b. 1960) is a former political analyst from Malaysia, and close associate of the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. He became a household name in Malaysia in 2006 when he was charged with abetting the murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu. He is now in prison. He continues to write and read, even though he is still in prison. He however, has continued to write on current issues, with the publication of a new book on Malaysian foreign policies; the introduction was written while in prison.
Baginda, as he is often known, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in politics and government from City Polytechnic, London and graduated in 1982. He continued to study and gained a master's degree in War Studies at King's College London in 1984. He subsequently began a D.Phil in International Relations at Trinity College, Oxford, but did not complete.
In 1988, Baginda joined the Malaysian Armed Forces Defense College as a lecturer and eventually as the head of strategic studies. In 1993, he formed a think tank called the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, which is based in Kuala Lumpur. It is responsible for the publication of many books on topics that include international relations, and such like. They regularly organise seminars on a myriad of local and international issues.
In 2002, his name was mentioned in the Malaysian Parliament for brokering the purchase of French Scorpene submarines by the Royal Malaysian Navy, in a deal estimated to be worth USD800 million. He is also known to be an advisor to Najib Tun Razak. He is married to Mazlinda, a lawyer and former magistrate and they have one daughter born in 1987.
Razak Baginda is a recipient of the Legion d'Honneur for his intellectual contribution.
[edit] Murder Trial
His reported friendship with Mongolian Altantuya ended and subsequently led her to begin harassing him. He then asked for help from the police, and this led to the murder and blowing up of her body allegedly by two officers from the special action unit (Unit Tindakan Khas). Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar are alleged to have murdered Altantuya in a jungle in Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19 and 11am the following day, in 2006. They were then serving as body guards of Najib. The officers have been charged with the murder, and Abdul Razak Baginda has been charged with abetting them. The charges carry a mandatory death penalty.
If convicted, all three would be sentenced to death. He has since admitted to the relationship, which ended in about 2005. Baginda's family is hugely supportive of him and has maintained his innocence in the murder. The case is still ongoing at the moment.
