MONGOLIAN model Altantuya Shaariibuu's father today unexpectedly backed former police commando Azilah Hadri’s application for his death sentence to be reduced to imprisonment and caning reported the Malay Mail.
Azilah’s lawyer J Kuldeep Kumar read out the letter by Altantuya’s father Shaariibuu Setev which backed the application to reduce and replace the death sentence with life imprisonment.
Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, who was holding a watching brief for Altantuya’s father Shaariibuu Setev in this case, this morning informed the Federal Court that she had the original copy of the letter and verified it.
Today is the Federal Court’s hearing of Azilah’s application for a review of his death sentence over Altantuya’s murder, where he was seeking for the Federal Court to reduce or replace his sentence with jail time and caning instead.
The hearing is ongoing.
Altantuya, 28, was murdered in a deserted area in Shah Alam, Selangor, in October 2006 and her remains were blown up with military-grade explosives.
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.
The Federal Court panel hearing Azilah’s application is chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and is composed of the President of the Court of Appeal Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judge Datuk Nordin Hassan.
Azilah applied to review his death sentence following the enactment of the Mandatory Death Penalty Abolition Act 2023, which took effect on July 4 last year.
In 2009, the Shah Alam High Court imposed the death penalty against the duo after finding them guilty of murdering Altantuya.
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
