Malaysia court commutes death penalty for ex-policeman in woman's murder

10/10/2024 17:04

        Malaysia's top court set aside the death penalty on Thursday for a former policeman convicted of the murder of a Mongolian woman, sentencing him instead to 40 years in jail, his lawyer said.
        
        The change comes after Malaysia abolished the mandatory death penalty last year, allowing those on death row to seek review of their sentences.
        
        Azilah Hadri had been handed the death penalty after being found guilty of the 2006 murder of 28-year-old Altantuya Shaariibuu, a model and interpreter to a former associate of former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
        
        A three-member panel of Malaysia's Federal Court unanimously commuted Azilah's death sentence to 40 years in jail, effective from his arrest in November 2006, and 12 strokes of the cane, his lawyer, Athari Bahardin, said.
        
        Shaariibuu Setev, the victim's father, had backed the policeman's request for a commuted death sentence, citing a need to respect the sanctity of life in a letter to the court