00:00Two former followers of the Tuhan Harun cult escaped the gallows after the federal court
00:11on Thursday commuted their death sentence to 40 years' imprisonment and 12 strokes
00:16of the rotan for murdering a religious enforcement officer in Bandar Indera Makota, Kuantan,
00:2311 years ago. A three-judge panel, chaired by Chief Justice Tuntengku Maimun Tuanmat,
00:30replaced the death sentence after allowing the review applications by Shamsinar Abdul
00:35Halim, aged 47, and Sumustafa Suradi, aged 50. The panel ordered for the prison time
00:42to run from the date of arrest. Sumustafa, a former policeman who served for 16 years,
00:49also escaped caning as offenders above the age of 50 are exempted. Earlier, lawyer Abdul
00:56Rashid Ismail, who represented Sumustafa, submitted that the crime was committed under
01:01the guise of a divine command from cult leader Harun Matsat, or Tuhan Harun, which impaired
01:08his client's decision-making abilities. Lawyer Muhammad Hasif Hassan, who represented Shamsinar,
01:15concurred with Abdul Rashid's submissions. DPP Roshan Karthikayan objected to the applications,
01:22saying the crime was premeditated and carried out mafia style.
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