Govt will write to Singapore to commute death sentence for Malaysian

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will submit a letter to Singapore to urge it to commute the death sentence of a Malaysian man who is scheduled to be executed on Friday (March 22).

"We will continue to send our representation protest on this particular issue," Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Liew View Keong said at the parliament lobby on Monday (March 19).

Michael Garing of Kapit, Sarawak, was convicted of murder in Singapore in 2015 has been scheduled to be executed in Changi Prison this Friday (March 22).

He was convicted in 2015 by the Singapore high court and its Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction in 2017.

Liew said similar representation had been done before.

"However, the Singapore government had taken the stance that they have laws to comply with and we have to respect their decision.

"It will be at the mercy of the Singapore president whether to commute the death sentence or not.

"We will write to the Singapore president," he said.

Lawyers for Liberty advisor N. Surendran said Michael's family had only been given eight days notice of the imminent execution and they were told to make the "necessary funeral arrangements".

"This extremely short notice is disturbing and a cause for concern. It gives the family scant time to spend with Michael in his final days and to make preparations," said Surendran in a statement Tuesday (March 18).

Michael and another Sarawakian, Tony Imba, were part of a gang that went on a robbery spree, severely injuring three victims and killing a fourth man in 2010.

The pair had attacked and robbed the four men in the Kallang area from late in the night of May 29, 2010 until the early hours of the next day.

The dead man had a fractured skull, a severed left hand, a slash wound across his neck and a back wound so deep that his shoulder blade was cracked.

Tony was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the robbery.