In a statement issued by his office, the prime minister rejected speculations that he was the “VVIP” who met Azilah at the Kajang Prison, after Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah claimed of attempts to fabricate fresh charges to implicate his client.

“Dr Mahathir also dismisses allegations that the Government is behind Azilah’s revelation of Najib Razak’s involvement in the murder of Altantuya as stated in his (Azilah’s) recent statutory declaration,” the statement said.

Azilah was sentenced to death together with former policeman Sirul Azhar Umar after losing their appeal in the Federal Court in 2015.

Apart from claiming that Najib had given him the instruction to kill Altantuya, Azilah in his statutory declaration said that Abdul Razak Baginda, Altantuya’s former lover who was acquitted of her murder, and senior police officer Musa Safri, were part of the crime as they were aware of the “instruction”.

Shafee yesterday said that he had “very reliable information” that Azilah had met a “VVIP”, among other individuals, outside prison after February.

“I would not say who that person is or whether the person is a politician,” he told reporters after attending Azilah’s murder case review application at the Federal Court registry.

The Prime Minister’s Office meanwhile said it was leaving the matter to the courts.

“As this involves the legal process, the government will leave the matter to the relevant authorities to decide on the course of action.”