March 16 decision on appellants' final bid in Sosilawati case

The Federal Court has set March 16 to deliver its verdict in the final appeal by four men on death row for the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and her three aides.

When contacted, lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad for R. Matan said they received a letter dated March 3 from the Federal Court registry notifying them of the decision date.

Lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik for T. Thilaiyalagan also confirmed that the decision date had been fixed for March 16.

Deputy public prosecutor Saiful Edris Zainuddin, when contacted said he was notified of the decision date yesterday.

On Nov 8, last year, a Federal Court panel led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria reserved its decision after hearing submissions from the prosecution and defence.

Others in the panel were Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, and federal court judges Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar, Tan Sri Azahar Mohamed and Tan Sri Zaharah Ibrahim.

Former lawyer N Pathmanabhan, 46, and farmhands Matan, 25, Thilaiyalagan, 24, and R Kathavarayan, 36, were sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court on May 23, 2013.

They were convicted for murdering Sosilawati, 47, bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and Sosilawati's driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44.

They committed the offence at Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjong Layang, Tanjung Sepat, in Banting between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30, 2010.

Pathmanabhan, Matan, Thilaiyalagan and Kathavarayan lost their appeal at the Court of Appeal on Dec 4, 2015.

Court of Appeal judge Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who was one of the three judges in the panel, held that there was direct evidence to show Sosilawati and her aides were at the farm owned by Pathmanabhan, when they met their deaths.

The Shah Alam High Court pronounced the guilty verdict on the four on May 23, 2013.

Thilaiyalagan was also represented by counsel Gurbachan Singh while Pathmanabhan and Kathavarayan, by counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon and T. Vijayandran, respectively. -- Bernama