MCorporal Sirul Azhar Umar's 'confession' rejected by court |
Yesterday, the judge, Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin,
rejected a bid by prosecutors to introduce the confession by Corporal Sirul
Azhar Umar, 36, saying the facts showed it was made under pressure.
“Based on the facts of this case, there was clear inducement in the procurement
of the confession,” the judge said.
“Because of that, the court has decided that the confession was made not
voluntarily...(and) will not be accepted as evidence in this court.”
The ruling was made after Datuk Mohd Zaki spent more than two days hearing
testimony and arguments about the confession.
Sirul’s lawyer had argued that his client’s confession should be rejected
because it was made under “oppressive circumstances”.
He argued that Mr Mastor Mohamad Ariff, the deputy commander of the special
forces unit, had badgered Sirul into making the confession while they were
together on a flight home to Malaysia.
Head prosecutor Tun Majid Tun Hamzah told reporters yesterday that he did not
consider the rejection of Sirul’s statement to be a severe setback.
“We will rely on other circumstantial evidence,” he said outside the court.
