Former police Special Action Unit (UTK) officer Azilah Hadri had allegedly been brought out from death row at the Kajang Prison in February this year to meet a VVIP, alleged lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

The defence attorney for former premier Najib Abdul Razak told reporters this morning that he believed there was a coordinated political assassination plot against Najib.

He claimed that several people including agents of the Malaysian government had also gone to Australia to meet former UTK personnel Sirul Azhar Umar, under immigration detention there, to persuade him to come up with a statement against Najib.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad shook his head and smiled when asked by reporters if he had met convicted murderer Azilah Hadri.

Posed with this question at a press conference Putrajaya today, Mahathir promptly stood up and left the venue.