Home Ministry: Sodomy offences don't qualify for parole

Former Selangor menteri besar Mohamed Khir Toyo's early release from prison under parole raised talk the Opposition may similarly lobby parole for jailed former Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

However such hopes would be for nothing as the Home Ministry today said sodomy offences would not qualify for parole.

"All offences that carries a minimum one year jail sentence qualifies for parole application except for offences set out in the Fourth Schedule of the Prisons Act 1995," it said in a statement today.

It said among the offences exempted from parole are under Section 121 for waging war against the Agong, Section 194 for giving false statement with the intention to causing others to be sentenced to death, Section 304(a) for causing death, Section 376 for rape and Section 276B, Section 377B and Section 377C for carnal intercourse against the order of nature.

All offences are under the Penal Code.

Anwar was in February last year sentenced to five years in prison under Section 377B of the Penal Code, a charge he claimed is politically motivated.

Anwar's daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who is also PKR's Lembah Pantai MP, had said that her family had no intention of seeking parole for Anwar and instead want a full pardon, insisting that her father is innocent.

The Home Ministry had issued the clarification to address what it said was "confusion" over the relatively new parole system which first commenced in 2008.

'Satisfactory rehabilitation'

Yesterday, Khir was freed from prison after serving six months of his sentence and will be allowed to serve the remaining two months under parole.

His one-year sentence was also remitted by four months due to 'satisfactory rehabilitation' in prison.

Khir was jailed under Section 165 of the Penal Code which concerns a public servant obtaining any valuable thing, without consideration, from a person concerned in any proceeding or business, transacted by such public servant.

The Home Ministry said as of March 14 this year, a total of 12,550 prisoners have been allowed parole. -Mkini