A court acquitted a close friend of Malaysia's deputy prime minister Oct. 31 of abetting the murder of a Mongolian woman in a ruling that revived opposition claims of political interference in the judiciary.

High Court Judge Mohamad Zaki Yasin ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a case against political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, an associate of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak. The court ordered two police officers to remain on trial for allegedly carrying out the slaying.

Abdul Razak had been charged with abetting the October 2006 slaying of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian interpreter who was blown up with military-grade explosives in a jungle clearing near Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor state.