Indonesian woman in Jong-nam’s murder case released
SHAH ALAM: The High Court here yesterday released an Indonesian woman accused of assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother Kim Chol or Kim Jong-nam after prosecutors withdrew the murder charge against her.
Justice Datuk Azmi Ariffin granted Siti Aisyah a discharge not amounting to an acquittal after the prosecution led by deputy public prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad withdrew the murder charge against her under Section 254 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
“The court is satisfied with the prima facie case against Siti Aisyah, under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
“The prosecution wishes to withdraw the charge against the accused. Thus, Siti Aisyah is given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal,” the judge said.
Earlier, Muhamad Iskandar told the court that the prosecution wishes to withdraw the charge against Siti Aisyah under Section 254(1) of the CPC.
The section, among others, states that the prosecution can, at any stage of the trial, discontinue the prosecution of the accused.
Siti Aisyah wearing a ‘baju kurung’ with a ‘selendang’ was in tears after hearing the verdict.
Lawyer Gooi Soon Seng, represented Siti Aisyah.
On Aug 16, 2018, the court ordered Siti Aisyah and a Vietnamese female national, Doan Thi Huong, 29, to enter their defence on the charge of murdering Jong-nam, 45.
They were charged with four others still at large with the murder of Jong-nam at the departure hall of the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) at 9 am on Feb 13, 2017, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
Today was fixed for Doan to enter her defence on the charge.
Meanwhile, Aisyah has returned home to Jakarta and thanked the Indonesian president and Cabinet ministers for securing her release from Malaysia.
Indonesia’s government says its continual high-level lobbying resulted in the release of the Indonesian woman.
The foreign ministry said in a statement Monday that Siti Aisyah was “deceived and did not realise at all that she was being manipulated by North Korean intelligence.”
It said Aisyah, a migrant worker, believed that she was part of a reality TV show and never had any intention of killing Jongnam.
It said Aisyah’s plight was raised in “every bilateral Indonesia-Malaysia meeting, both at the president’s level, the vice-president and regular meetings of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other ministers with their Malaysian partners”.