KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's attorney-general on Tuesday said Prime Minister Najib Razak had no connection to the 2006 murder of a Mongolian woman, following a documentary on the subject broadcast last week by Doha-based network Al Jazeera.
Najib is facing the biggest crisis of his political career after media reports of a mysterious transfer of more than $600 million into an account under his name, but he has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the funds.
He has rebuffed calls to quit over a scandal over mismanagement problems engulfing heavily indebted state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and his handling of the economy, with the ringgit currency at its weakest in nearly 18 years.
Model and translator Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered in 2006 and her body was blown up with military grade explosives in a forest on the outskirts of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. Two former police officers were sentenced to death for the murder.
Last week, Najib's office dismissed reports that the two men had been his bodyguards. According to the government, they were members of a police unit providing security for government officials.
Civil society groups have alleged Shaariibuu's murder was linked to her role as an interpreter and associate of Abdul Razak Baginda, a former adviser to Najib, in Malaysia's purchase of two Scorpene-class submarines from French shipbuilding giant DCNS in 2002.
Najib has denied allegations of links to Shaariibuu or corruption in the purchase.
Al Jazeera's programme focused on the murder and unanswered questions on the motives for the crime. It linked the victim to an affair with political analyst Razak Baginda, who was acquitted in 2008 on charges of abetting the murder.
An Al Jazeera spokesman said the documentary was "a detailed and thorough report into a murder mystery that continues to have many unanswered questions."
In a statement on Tuesday, Malaysian Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali said Najib's name was never brought up "in any culpable manner" throughout the court case.
"The evidence led did not at all show that the prime minister played any role in the case," he added.
"The attempts by the parties and individuals mentioned above to somehow connect the prime minister to the murder case is completely without basis."
In a statement to Al Jazeera in response to the film, a government spokesman said Najib had never met Shaariibuu, and described as "intentionally misleading" the allegation that the convicted officers were part of his private security detail.
Malaysian police are investigating Al Jazeera over the documentary, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters on Monday.
Razak Baginda could not be reached for comment.