Last month, Justice Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera ordered them and two former policemen to pay RM5 million in damages to the family of the Mongolian woman.

The notices of appeal challenging the decision, both in terms of liability and quantum, were sighted by FMT and confirmed by Razak’s lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon.

Altantuya’s father, Shaariibuu Setev, his wife, Altantsetseg Sanjaa, and Altantuya’s son, Mungunshagai, filed a suit in 2007 seeking RM100 million in damages, claiming that there was a conspiracy surrounding her murder.

They named Azilah Hadri, Sirul Azhar Umar, Razak and the government as defendants.

Altantuya, a model, was shot in the head in 2006 in a forest in Puncak Alam near Shah Alam. Her body was later blown up with C4 explosives.

Azilah and Sirul were charged with her murder, found guilty and sentenced to death.

Razak, a former aide to then deputy prime minister Najib Razak, was charged with abetting the duo, but was acquitted without his defence being called.

Sirul, who is being held at an Australian immigration detention centre, and Azilah, who is on death row at Kajang prison, did not challenge the family’s suit.

Vazeer ruled that Altantuya’s family had successfully proven their claim on a balance of probabilities against the four defendants.

He said the Malaysian government, as the fourth defendant, was vicariously liable for the unlawful actions of Sirul and Azilah, which were carried out in their capacity as police officers.

In his judgment, Vazeer said Sirul and Azilah “deliberately shot” and “strapped explosives” onto Altantuya, and should be held accountable for their actions.

He said Razak was the link between the two former policemen and Altantuya but took the position that he had no case to answer in the action.