Sosilawati’s killers to hang
A FORMER lawyer and his two farmhands lose their final bid to set aside their death sentences for murdering the cosmetics entrepreneur and her three aides in 2010. However, another farmhand escapes the gallows.
ERNI Dekritawati Yuliana Buhari, daughter of murdered cosmetics businesswoman Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, expressed her gratitude to the authorities for bringing closure to her mother’s death in 2010.
“Alhamdulillah , after waiting for seven years, everything ended well today (yesterday).
“On behalf of my family and the families of the other victims, I would like to thank the authorities for doing their jobs well and upholding justice,” Erni, 31, told the New Straits Times.
Yesterday, the Federal Court upheld the conviction and death sentence of former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan, 47, and farmhands T. Thilaiyalagan, 25, and R. Kathavarayan, 37, for murdering Sosilawati, 47, and her three aides — bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and Sosilawati’s driver, Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44.
However, the apex court acquitted farmhand R. Matan, 26, saying the High Court had erred in calling for his defence at the end of the prosecution’s case, and the Court of Appeal had erred in affirming his conviction and death sentence because there was insufficient evidence to convict him for the murders.
Erni said she had never doubted the country’s legal system.
“My family and I are very satisfied with the court’s ruling. It is a justly served penalty,” she said.
Erni was not present in court when the judgment was read by a five-man panel chaired by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria.
“I was advised against going to court and only found out about the judgment when reporters started calling me.
“It is definitely good news. I am very happy despite it being a hectic day.”
Sosilawati and her aides went missing after going to Banting for a land deal. The four appellants were sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court in 2013.