FORMER chief inspector Azilah Hadri will have his day in court today to try to persuade the Federal Court to commute his death sentence to imprisonment in the high-profile murder case of Mongolian supermodel Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.
Azilah, 48, stands among the final batch of death row prisoners who are trying to have their death sentence commuted to lifetime imprisonment, which now means 30 to 40 years in jail.
Azilah’s application to review his death sentence follows the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act, which came into force on July 4, 2023, where mandatory death sentences for offences such as drug trafficking and murder have been removed.
The review of prisoners who are on death row began last November when it was reported that some 800 inmates who had finished the judicial process could apply for a review.
A three-member bench of the Apex Court is expected to hear Azilah's application to review his death sentence following the enactment of the Mandatory Death Penalty Abolition Act 2023, which took effect on July 4 last year.
According to the trial, Altantuya was shot dead before her body was blown up with explosives at a secluded spot near the Subang Dam in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam, by Azilah and Sirul Azhar Umar, who is also a former cop.
In 2009, the Shah Alam High Court imposed the death penalty against the duo after finding them guilty of murdering Altantuya.
For today’s Federal Court hearing, Azilah is expected to be represented by his lawyer J Kuldeep Kumar, while Sangeet Kaur Deo is expected to hold a watching brief for Altantuya’s father Shaariibuu Setev.
However, the duo were then unanimously acquitted by a three-member Court of Appeal bench led by Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, where present Chief Justice (CJ) Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat wrote the judgment in freeing them on Aug 23, 2013.
In a turn of events, a five-member bench led by then CJ Tun Arifin Zakaria unanimously reversed the appellate court decision on Jan 13, 2015, resulting in Azilah facing the death sentence while Sirul had left the country for Australia, where he had been detained under Australian immigration law until his release late last year there.
Azilah is currently in Sungai Buloh prison awaiting a decision from the state pardon board. - October 10, 2024
