4 Indonesians escape death sentence in Malaysia

The Indonesian foreign ministry was informed that four of its citizens facing death sentences based on murder charges in Malaysia were acquitted of the charges because of a lack evidence and were released from prison on Friday.

“The judge of a higher court in Taiping, Perak, Malaysia decided to release four Indonesians facing the death sentence for murder,” said the ministry’s director of Indonesian citizen protection, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday.

The four, named as Karni, Sujoko, Sunanto and Sudaryono, all from Lampung, were charged with killing a thief that had entered their home on June 23, 2010.

On May 22, 2013, judges decided to suspend the trial because the state prosecutor had failed to call a key witness to testify, but in June 2013, the court resumed the trial after the prosecutor said the main witness was available.

After several hearings, judges acquitted the four defendants because the witness presented by the prosecutor had given a weak testimony that failed to support the charges.

According to Lalu, prosecutors could still file an appeal to the Supreme Court, but the Indonesian Embassy was making efforts to repatriate the four to their home village in Lampung.

“Now the four are in the process of being handed over from the court to police investigators and later they will be transferred to the Malaysian immigration authorities,” he said.