Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he was unaware of any lobbying by Jakarta for the released of Kim Jong-nam murder suspect Siti Aisyah after more than two years in detention.
Speaking during a press conference in Parliament, Mahathir said that to his knowledge, Siti Aisyah's release was a decision by the courts.
"This is a decision made by the court. She was put on trial and the charge was withdrawn," said Mahathir.
"I did not receive any information," said Mahathir when quizzed on reports which attributed Siti Aisyah's release to intense lobbying efforts by Indonesia.
The Shah Alam High Court yesterday granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal to Siti Aisyah, 27, who later flew to the Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in Jakarta on a special flight arranged by the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
The judge made the decision after the prosecution withdrew the charge against Siti Aisyah under Section 254(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). No reason was given.
Upon her return, Siti Aisyah thanked the Indonesian government for its assistance. The Indonesian foreign ministry had also reportedly attributed her release to the result of their high-level lobbying.
The Indonesian government had reportedly released a copy of a letter sent by its law minister Yasonna H Laoly to Putrajaya that pinned the blame for Jong-nam's death on North Korea.
In his response to Laoly's letter, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said Malaysia agreed to the request to drop the charges against Siti Aisyah.
Siti Aisyah, along with Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong, 30, and four North Koreans still at large, were accused of killing Jong-nam (above) with the chemical liquid VX at KLIA2 on Feb 13, 2017.
Siti Aisyah, 26, along with Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong (photo), 30, and four North Koreans still at large, were accused of killing Jong-nam with the chemical liquid VX at KLIA2 on Feb 13, 2017.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, which carries a mandatory death sentence.
Interpol had issued a red notice for the four North Koreans identified as suspects, who are said to have fled the country hours after the murder.
Half-brother to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the exiled Jong-nam, had been critical of his family's authoritarian rule of North Korea.
Pyongyang has denied ordering Jong-nam's assassination.
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