Who is Mona Fandey?
Real name: Maznah Ismail. She also claimed to be Tengku Rohani Tengku Abdullah, which hinted of royal status although this was trounced by the prosecution during the trial.
Age at death: 45 (hanged on Nov 2, 2001)
Background: Born in Kangar, Perlis, and was a recording artiste with an album entitled Diana 1 released in 1987. Mona was known for the song Ku Nyanyikan Lagu Ini. However, she switched to the traditional medicine practice not long after.
Profession: Bomoh (widely believed).
Spouse: Mohd Affandi Abdul Rahman, a fellow bomoh.
Why she’s famous: Mona was tried and convicted, together with Affandi, 43 (when he was executed) and their assistant Juraimi Husin, 31, for the murder of Batu Talam state assemblyman Datuk Mazlan Idris between July 2 and 8, 1993, in an unnumbered house in Kampung Peruas, Ulu Dong, about 35km from Raub. Mazlan had been missing for awhile before he was found not only dead but his remains chopped into 18 parts and buried 1.8m beneath the storeroom of the house on July 22, 1993.
The trial, which began in September 1994, ran for five months with the prosecution calling 59 witnesses and the defence, seven.
What happened afterwards?
All three appealed to the Court of Appeal in 1997 and the Federal Court two years later but all were rejected. After the Pardons Board dismissed their last appeal, they were executed on Nov 2, 2001, at the Kajang Prison.
Interesting bits: The bomoh couple offered to sell to Mazlan three mysticall items which would apparently maake thhe politician invincible in eexchannge for RM2.5mil. Mazlan wwas said to have paid RM5500,0000 and handed over 10 land tiitles aas guarantee for the remainning payment. Later, it wass arrannged for Mazlan to visitt the ccouple’s house in Ulu Dong, RRaub, ffor a mandi bunga ceremoony buut he ended up being murrderedd and his body mutilated.
After tthe muurder, the couple left for KKuala Lumpur and booughtt a Mercedes Benz, went on a shopping sspree and Mona even ggot a ffacelift.
Nott long after the murder, Juuraimi was picked up foor a drrug offence but hhe connfessed to the poliice thaat he had been involved in Mazlan’s muurder. He led police to the crrime scene annd the couple was arrrestedd not long after thhat.
Trivvia: The Mona FFandeyy case was the laast jurry trial in MMalaysiia and the last innvolvinng a preliminaary inquiry.
In 20002, film diirector Amir MMuhammmad made a shhort fiilm entitled MMona inn his 6horts seeries. FFour years laater, a film by Dain Iskkandaar Said entitled Dukkun wwas widely believed tto be based on Moona. Thhe screening of this fiilm was shelved for 11 years beefore bbeing released reccentlyy.