Sosilawati's murder: Federal Court upholds death sentence of three men, acquits one

The Federal Court here today upheld the conviction and death sentence of a former lawyer and two of his farm hands, but acquitted one of the appellant, for the murder of cosmetic millionairess Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and her three aides nearly seven years ago.

The former lawyer and the farm hands are N. Pathmanabhan, 47, T. Thilaiyalagan, 25, and R. Kathavarayan, 37.

A five-man panel chaired by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria in their judgment today said there were overwhelming evidence to show that Sosilawati and her three aides were murdered at Pathmanbhan's farm in Banting.

The panel, which also comprised 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, however, acquitted the third appellant, R.Matan, 26, on grounds of insufficient evidence to implicate him to the murder.

The four men were sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court on May 23, 2013, for murdering Sosilawati, 47, bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and Sosilawati's driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44.

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

Sosilawati and the three aides were reported missing after reportedly going to Banting for a land deal.

Pathmanabhan, Matan, Thilaiyalagan and Kathavarayan appealed, but their appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Dec 4, 2015.

Sosilawati and her three aides were reported missing after they allegedly went to Banting for a land deal. Their disappearance made headlines nationwide.

The four men were arrested and charged in court in 2011. -- Bernama