Sosilawati murders: Death penalty on ex-lawyer and another upheld

PUTRAJAYA - The Federal Court has upheld the death sentences of a former lawyer and a former farmhand for the murders of cosmetics millionairess Sosilawati Lawiya and her three aides, committed 14 years ago.

The three-judge panel, led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, today rejected the applications submitted by N. Pathmanabhan, 55, and T. Thilaiyalagan, 33, to review their death sentences.

"In exercising our judicial discretion and having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case, we dismiss the applications. The death sentence is maintained,” said Justice Tengku Maimun.

Meanwhile, another former farmhand, R. Kathavarayan, 44, withdrew his application to review the death sentence, which the panel subsequently struck out. This means Kathavarayan’s death penalty stays.

The review applications were filed in an attempt to have the death sentences commuted to imprisonment following the Mandatory Death Penalty Abolition Act 2023, which took effect on July 4 last year.

Pathmanabhan, Thilaiyalagan and Kathavarayan, were convicted by the High Court in Shah Alam in May 2013 for killing Sosilawati, 47, bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32 and Sosilawati's driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44.

The murders took place at Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjong Layang, Tanjung Sepat in Banting between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30, 2010.

Their appeals were dismissed by the Court of Appeal and Federal Court on December 4, 2015 and March 16, 2017 respectively.

Initially, there were four men charged but the Federal Court acquitted R. Matan, 33, after finding there was insufficient evidence to implicate him in the murders. - BERNAMA