Selangor Sultan commutes death sentence of civil servant to life imprisonment

The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on Friday commuted the death sentence of a civil servant to life imprisonment.

Joe (not his real name), 52, currently serving time at the Perlis Correctional Centre (PKP) here, was sentenced to death for the murder of a Pakistani man in Selangor in March 1996.

Malaysian Prisons Department Security and Intelligence director Datuk Jamaludin Saad said Joe was fortunate to be the only death row prisoner to be selected to apply for a lesser sentence.

"This decision was made at the Selangor State Pardons Board meeting which was chaired by the Sultan of Selangor effective last July 28," he told reporters after making the announcement at PKP yesterday.

The announcement was made in the presence of Joe's mother, his three siblings and a nephew who arrived from Shah Alam.

Present were the Sultan's private secretary Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani, Deputy State Secretary Datuk Mazlan Md Nor and PKP director Shahhimin Hussin.

Jamaluddin said the decision was made after the Selangor State Pardons Board members took into account several aspects, including the offence, the sentence being served and the personal development of the inmate.