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A housewife and her former lover, convicted of murdering her husband 12 years ago, were spared the death penalty today as the Federal Court commuted their sentences to 36 years in prison.
A three-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat overturned the death sentences of K. Annamah, 47, and G. Puganeswaran, 34. This decision was made after considering their applications under the Revision of Sentence of Death and Imprisonment for Natural Life (Temporary Jurisdiction of the Federal Court) Act 2023.
Justice Tengku Maimun, alongside Federal Court judges Datuk Rhodzariah Bujang and Datuk Nordin Hassan, mandated that both defendants serve their prison terms from the date of their arrest on February 17, 2012. Additionally, Puganeswaran was sentenced to 12 strokes of the cane.
During the proceedings, Puganeswaran’s lawyer, A. Saha Deva, argued for the death penalty to be set aside, asserting that his client was not present in the room during the murder. He claimed only Annamah and four teenagers were involved and highlighted that Annamah had suffered abuse from her husband.
In defense of Annamah, her lawyer Wan M. Razali Wan A. Kadir stated that her role was minimal. He explained that she only signaled Puganeswaran with a missed call and opened the door to allow the teenagers into the house.
However, deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Ng Siew Wee pushed for the death sentence to be upheld, describing the murder as meticulously planned. She emphasized that Annamah had betrayed her marriage by engaging in an affair with Puganeswaran and manipulating four underage teenagers to carry out their plan.
Ng further alleged that Puganeswaran had promised to pay the teenagers RM5,000 from the victim’s Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings once they completed the murder.
The prosecution was represented by DPPs Ng Siew Wee and Norzilati Izhani Zainal @ Zainol.
In 2017, the Shah Alam High Court sentenced Puganeswaran and Annamah to death for the murder of lorry driver G. Ganesan, 31, who was stabbed while asleep in a Petaling Jaya flat at 2:47 am on February 16, 2012. The sentence, under Section 302 of the Penal Code, was upheld by both the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
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