Azilah, 48, is attempting to have his death sentence commuted to a jail term.
This follows the passing of the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Act 2023, which took effect on July 4, last year.
Under the new law, judges now have the discretion to impose either the death penalty or imprisonment of not less than 30 years and up to 40 years.
If the death penalty is not imposed, male offenders under the age of 50 will also face a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.
Azilah was convicted in 2009, along with former policeman Sirul Azhar Umar, of murdering Altantuya at Mukim Bukit Raja in Shah Alam between 10pm on Oct 19, 2006, and 1am the following day.
The Shah Alam High Court had sentenced both men to death.
Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, meanwhile, was acquitted by the Shah Alam High Court of abetting the murder.
On appeal, both Azilah and Sirul were discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in 2013. However, in 2015, the Federal Court overturned their acquittal and confirmed their conviction and death penalty.
Sirul did not show up in court for the Federal Court’s decision as he had fled to Australia in 2006, where he was detained under immigration law until his release late last year.
In 2020, the Federal Court rejected Azilah’s application for a retrial and review of his 2015 conviction. It was reported by the media that Azilah had also applied for a pardon from the Selangor sultan.
In addition, Altantuya’s family won a civil suit in 2022 against Azilah, Sirul, Razak and the government.
The Shah Alam High Court ruled they were liable for Altantuya’s death and awarded the family a total of RM5 million in damages. This case is pending appeal in the Court of Appeal. - FMT
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