The lawyer representing the family of murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu told the Court of Appeal that the RM5 million judgment awarded by the High Court three years ago was justified as “vindicatory damages”.
Counsel Sangeet Kaur Deo said the compensation payable to her clients was not limited to a statutory claim under Section 7 of the Civil Law Act 1956 (CLA), as argued by the government.
Instead, she said the damages awarded reflected the gravity of the constitutional violation.
Altantuya’s killing was a blatant breach of her constitutional right to life, the lawyer said.
“It is a case involving a constitutional tort. The Federal Court had already dismissed the government’s application to strike out the suit, confirming that the cause of action and the government’s vicarious…