Federal Court upholds death penalty for ex-colonel, commutes sentences of two in Kevin Morais case
A three-man bench led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat affirmed the murder conviction of Colonel Dr R. Kunaseegaran, 62, S. Nimalan, 31 and S. Ravi Chandran, 53.
However, both Nimalan and Ravi Chandran were spared the gallows after the court commuted the death sentences imposed on them by the High Court to life imprisonment.
Nimalan was sentenced to 35 years in prison with 12 strokes of the cane, while Ravi Chandran was sentenced to 40 years in jail. The court did not impose whipping on Ravi Chandran as he is above 50 years of age.
Justice Tengku Maimun said Kunaseegaran's death sentence remained as he had withdrawn his appeal against the sentence.
Meanwhile, the panel, also comprising Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judge Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang, discharged and acquitted the other three individuals, namely R. Dinishwaran, 32, A.K. Thinesh Kumar, 31, and M. Vishwanath, 34, for the murder.
On July 10, 2020, the six men were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of killing Morais, 55, somewhere along Jalan Dutamas Raya Sentul and No. 1, Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya, between 7 am and 8 pm on Sept 4, 2015.
The Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals on March 14 last year.
Morais, who was reported missing on Sept 4, 2015, was last seen leaving his apartment at Menara Duta, Kuala Lumpur, in a Proton Perdana. His body was found in a cement-filled oil drum at Persiaran Subang Mewah, Subang Jaya, on Sept 16 the same year. — Bernama
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