MALAYSIA: JOHOR SULTAN PARDONS EIGHT PRISONERS

July 18, 2012: In Malaysia, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim has consented to grant full pardon to eight prisoners who will be released on July 21.
State Secretary Datuk Obet Tawil said Sultan Ibrahim had also consented to commute the death sentence by hanging to imprisonment for four other prisoners and to pardon a man who was convicted in 1985 so as to erase his name from the criminal conviction record.
"Sultan Ibrahim had chaired the meeting of the Johor Pardons Board on Jan 19, this year.
On the advice of the board and Attorney-General, and taking into consideration all aspects such as the prisoners' offences, jail term served and rehabilitation achieved, the Sultan consented to consider their release or to reduce their sentences," he told reporters in Kota Iskandar.
He said the Johor Pardons Board meeting was also attended by Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and three board members, Datuk Law Boon King, Datuk Rashidi Mohd Noor and Datuk Dr M Harjit Singh.
Obet said one of the eight prisoners to be released on the first day of Ramadan, Sapuan Hanin, 58, was an appeal case for pardon from a death sentence under Regulation 14 of the Prisons Regulations 2000, while the other seven, aged 41 to 63, were cases under the study on sentences every four years (KHETS) as provided under Regulation 54.
He said Sapuan had already been in jail for 24 years since 1987 for a drug trafficking offence under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
According to Obet, the seven others who were given life sentences, had already served between 22 and 37 years of imprisonment and given six to 10 strokes of the cane for robbery and possession of firearms.
The four other prisoners whose death sentences were reduced to imprisonment and appealed for pardon under Regulation 114 of the Prisons Regulations 2000, had been involved in drug trafficking and murder.
Three of them, aged 36 to 41, have been in jail for eight to 14 years, but no date of release was available while the other prisoner, aged 57, who has served 16 years of imprisonment, had his death sentence reduced to life (20 years).
Obet said overall, 32 appeal cases for pardon were reviewed by the Johor Pardons Board, but only 13 of the cases were granted pardon by Sultan Ibrahim.
He hopes the eight prisoners to be released could use this second chance to benefit themselves, their family and society by proving that they have repented and those whose death sentences have been commuted to imprisonment will also use that chance for successful rehabilitation and self-development. (Sources: Bernama, 18/07/2012)