Federal Court commutes death sentence of convicted murderers, drug trafficker to imprisonment

KUCHING (May 14): Three men convicted of murder and another convicted of drug trafficking had their death sentences commuted to imprisonment by the Federal Court today.

Murder convicts Asis Lako, 41, Daud Passarin, 40, and Daniel Usin, 34, had their death sentences commuted to imprisonment of 35 years, 34 years and 33 years, respectively, with 12 strokes of the cane each.

Convicted drug trafficker Ramasamy Mahendran, 51, had his death sentence commuted to 30 years’ imprisonment.

Justices Dato Rhodzariah Bujang, Datuk Hanipah Farikullah and Dato Nordin Hassan allowed the four men’s respective review application, filed under the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023 and Abolition of the Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023, which confer the Federal Court with the discretion to review cases involving the death sentence.

The apex court also ordered the imprisonment to commence from the four men’s respective date of arrest.

Representing the four convicts were lawyers Simon Siah, Jong Yee Ling, Russell Lim, Eirene Chan, Moh Ung Kieng and Brendan Ting.