The Jakarta Globe, 24 Aug 2015,
Jakarta. Prosecutors in Malaysia on Tuesday dropped an appeal against a Malaysian court's verdict to spare Indonesian maid Wilfrida Soik from the death penalty.
Wilfrida was charged with murder under Malaysia's strict Penal Code after she killed her 60-year-old Malaysian employer, Yeap Seok Pen, at the latter's house in Pasir Mas in Malaysia's Kelantan state in December 2010.
In April 2014, Wilfrida escaped the death sentence after judges at Malaysia's Kota Bharu High Court ruled that she murdered Yeap by stabbing her 42 times, but that she had done so while in a mentally ill condition.
Wilfrida, who at the time of the murder was 17 years old, was found to suffer from an "acute and transient psychotic disorder."
The judges also accepted the lawyers' defense that Wilfrida had committed the crime while underage, and hence was spared from the death penalty.
Prosecutors decided to challenge the verdict at Malaysia's Court of Appeal, only to drop it on Tuesday after reading expert testimony submitted by Wilfrida's lawyer.
Indonesia's ambassador to Malaysia, Herman Prayitno, expressed his gratitude at the decision and said he would send a letter asking for a pardon from the sultanate of Kelantan state as part of efforts to have Wilfrida repatriated to Indonesia. Wilfrida is currently is still detained and getting treatment at the Permai mental health hospital in Johor Bahru.
"I really appreciate everyone who has given their full support and attention during the whole legal process, which eventually resulted in something that we all hoped for," Herman said in a statement on Tuesday.
*
di 25 aug 2015 - 13:21