Datuk Seri Najib Razak speaks to reporters outside the Kuala Lumpur High Court October 25, 2018. — Picture by Azinuddin Ghazali

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak has defended his administration’s decision to deport Al Jazeera reporter Mary Ann Jolley in 2015 over her investigation into the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.

“Good thing we deported you. You are a nuisance,” the former prime minister told Jolley who interviewed him for Al Jazeera’s 101 East show.

“Because as far as I am concerned, making lies, fabricating lies is not something we want to tolerate in this country.”

A transcript of the interview was made available to Malay Mail. In the hour-long grilling, Najib lost his cool a couple of times.

The show will be aired on the news channel tomorrow at 11.30am Malaysian time.

In 2015, the news channel had resurrected the controversial murder of Shaariibuu that many have accused the then Malaysian government of covering up.

Jolley in the programme had revealed that she was deported from Malaysia in June that year for reporting on the murder.

The Home Ministry told Parliament then that local authorities had banned Jolley from entering Malaysia because her actions were deemed a threat to national security and public order.