Azilah S Death Sentence Commuted To 40 Years Imprisonment

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Federal Court today commuted the death sentence of former police commando Azilah Hadri (picture) to 40 years imprisonment and 12 lashes.
(The Malaysian Reserve) – Azilah, who was found guilty for 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu filed an application to reduce his sentence after being on death row for nine years after Malaysia changed their laws last year regarding the mandatory death penalty.
A three-judge panel led by the Chief Justice, Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and sitting together with the President of the Court of Appeal, Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court Judge, Datuk Nordin Hassan unanimously decided this after hearing the arguments of the parties involved.
Earlier today, Lawyer J. Kuldeep Kumar, representing Azilah, read parts of a letter from Dr Shaariibuu Setev which spoke of “the sanctity of life” and have “forgiven” Azilah and supported his death sentence to be commuted.
Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, who held a watching brief for Altantuya’s family, confirmed that she has the original copy of the said letter.
DPP Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said the prosecution was not objecting to the letter.
Azilah was originally sentenced to death by hanging together with another former police officer, Sirul Azhar Omar by the High Court in 2009 but was acquitted by the Court of Appeal in 2013. However the Federal Court in 2015 upheld the conviction for both.
Sirul fled to Australia in 2006 and was held by the country’s Immigration Prison until 2023.
Malaysia abolished the mandatory death penalty last year and the courts can now choose to decide whether to sentence a person who committed murder with either the death penalty; or between 30 to 40 years of jail and at least 12 strokes of the cane.
 
The post Azilah’s death sentence commuted to 40 years imprisonment appeared first on Malaysia Today.

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