No return deal with pro-Russian separatists: Muhyiddin Yassin

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia today said the pro-Russian separatists did not get anything in return for handing over Malaysia Airlines flight MH17's black boxes and the remains of victims.

Deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin said there was "no deal" involved in the agreement made with Alexander Borodai, the leader of the Russian separatists.

His remarks came in response to questions raised by several Opposition MPs in Parliament who wanted to know if the separatists had asked for anything in return.

"It was done in a smart way by the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. He told me there were no other deals. There were only the three agreements we outlined," said Muhyiddin.

The three conditions were: the return of the remains of those who lost their lives, the handover of the black boxes and full access to the crash site so that the investigation may begin.

He said the Government had formed a special investigation team comprising representatives from the police, the Department of Civil Aviation and other relevant agencies, adding that every effort would be taken to ensure the responsible parties are brought to justice.

He also said in order to bring the perpetrators to justice, the Government will use Malaysian laws which have extra-territorial criminal applications like the Penal Code and the Aviation Offences Act 1984.

The Boeing 777 was on a scheduled flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over pro-Russia rebels-held territory of the eastern Ukraine on July 17 killing all the 298 people on board, including 43 Malaysians.