PM denies knowledge of lobbying for Siti Aisyah’s freedom

Reports by MARTIN CARVALHO, HEMANANTHANI SIVANANDAM, RAHIMY RAHIM and TARRENCE TAN 

PRIME Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has denied knowledge of any form of lobbying to secure Indonesian Siti Aisyah’s freedom from a charge of murdering Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader.

“I have no information,” he said when quizzed by the media during a press conference at Parliament yesterday.

Siti Aisyah was discharged without an acquittal by the Shah Alam High Court for involvement in the high-profile murder case.

The Indonesian Embassy had in a statement claimed that President Joko Widodo had ordered efforts to secure her release immediately after she was arrested on Feb 15, 2017, two days after Kim, 45, was murdered at KLIA2.

The Indonesian government also said its continual high-level lobbying resulted in the release of the Indonesian woman.

According to Dr Mahathir, Siti Aisyah’s release was made in accordance with the law. “This is a decision made by the court. She was tried and she was discharged.

“I don’t know the details. But the prosecution can grant a discharge not amounting to acquittal,” he said.Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, who had allegedly smeared VX nerve agent on Kim’s face at the airport, had claimed that they thought they were taking part in a prank for a television show.