MALAYSIA: MAN ON DEATH ROW FOR NINE YEARS HAD HIS LIFE SPARED

Baha Jambol, 45, a former fish and vegetable vendor who has been on death row for nine years had his death sentence commuted to 18 years in jail and being whipped 12 times by the Court of Appeal. Baha accepted the prosecution's offer and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge from trafficking in more than 50kg of cannabis to possession of the drug. Head of the Appeals Division in the Attorney-General's Chambers Wong Chiang Kiat said the charge was reduced due to the delay by the Kota Baharu High Court judge to deliver his grounds of judgment, resulting in Baha being held behind bars for nine years and six months pending his appeal to the Court of Appeal. Baha was ordered to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Dec 31, 1996. After a one-third remission, Baha will be a free man in December next year. Justice Datuk Wira Low Hop Bing presided together with Justices Datuk Md Raus Sharif and Datuk Zainun Ali.