The Datin, who was a no-show in court for a review of her sentence for abusing her Indonesian maid, has been located.
- On travel blacklist
- Malaysian Bar calls for deterrent sentence
- 70,000 people signed online public petition calling for “equal justice for the rich and poor”
Police said they managed to get in touch with the housewife through her lawyer.
Asked if police received an assurance that she would show up in court, Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Mazlan Mansor pointed out that the “deadline is still not over”.
“The court notice for her to appear in court is on March 29,” he said.
On March 21, Datin Rozita Mohamad Ali, 44, and her bailor, a Royal Malaysian Air Force official, failed to attend the court proceedings.
The authorities went to her houses in Petaling Jaya and Melaka, as well as the bailor’s home in Subang to serve the notice on them to appear in court but no one was around.
On March 15, Judge Mohammed Mokhzani Mokhtar ordered that Rozita be bound over for five years on a good behaviour bond of RM20,000 for causing grievous hurt to her maid Suyanti Sutrinso, 21.
She was charged with using a kitchen knife, a steel mop and an umbrella to assault Suyanti at a house in Mutiara Damansara on June 21, 2016.
The maid suffered multiple injuries to her eyes, legs, hands and internal organs.
She also had a broken scapula, injuries to her right lung, a blood clot near her brain and a fractured cheek.
Rozita was initially charged with attempted murder.
She then pleaded guilty to an amended charge under Section 326 of the Penal Code for causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means.
The section allows for punishments of up to 20 years in prison, a fine, whipping, or any two combinations.
The case received wide media attention and was also covered by the international press after a video went viral on social media.
The video showed Suyanti seriously injured and lying near a drain in Mutiara Damansara.
As of Friday, some 70,000 people have signed an online petition, calling for justice to be served equally to the rich and poor.
Acting on a court order, the Immigration Department also barred Rozita from leaving the country.
Yesterday, the president of the Malaysian Bar called for the Datin to be adequately punished to convey the message that all are equal before the law.
George Varughese expressed his support for the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ decision to contest the non-custodial sentence meted out by the Sessions Court to Rozita, saying the penalty was “manifestly inadequate”.
“The light sentence has drawn significant negative publicity within and outside Malaysia, particularly in the Indonesian press,” he said in a statement.
He added that it has also lent to the public perception – evidenced by the 70,000 persons who signed the online public petition to date, calling for “equal justice for the rich and poor” – that the accused received preferential treatment due to her perceived financial and social status.
“Such perception does not augur well for the administration of justice in our country,” he said.
Earlier reports:
Mar 21, Datin in Abused Maid Case and Bailor Gone Missing
Mar 19, Petition Against Light Sentence of Datin in Maid Abuse Case Collected Almost 45K Signatures
Mar 15, ‘Datin’ in Horrific Maid Abuse Case Placed on Good Behaviour