New date for verdict in tahfiz fire murder appeals

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has set a new date, September 11, to deliver its verdict on the appeal case involving a teenager convicted for the tragic murder of 23 individuals in a devastating fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah Tahfiz Centre in 2017. Along with this ruling, the court will also make a decision on the prosecution’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling to acquit and discharge another teenager for the same offence without requiring a defence. The previous date, which was scheduled for this Friday, has been vacated. The court has informed the prosecution and the defence about the change through a letter dated June 20. Lawyer Haijan Omar confirmed the rescheduled decision date, as reported by Bernama.

The appeal case, presented before a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal consisting of Justices Datuk Abu Bakar Jais, Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, and Datuk See Mee Chun, has reached its conclusion after hearing submissions from deputy public prosecutor How May Ling and lawyer Haijan who represents the two teenagers. The accused teenager, now 22 years old, was convicted by the High Court on August 17, 2020, for the murder offence and was ordered to be detained at the pleasure of the Yang-di-Pertuan Agong. Simultaneously, another individual, also 22 years old, was acquitted and discharged by the High Court for the same offence without presenting a defence.

The charge alleges that both teenagers, who were 16 years old at the time, together with an unidentified individual, were responsible for the murder and deaths of 23 people at the tahfiz centre in Wangsa Maju between 4.15am and 6.45am on September 14, 2017. During the appeals hearing, lawyer Haijan argued that there were no eyewitness testimonies confirming the teenager’s involvement in starting the fire. He also highlighted that the prosecution’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence.

In the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of the second teenager, deputy public prosecutor How May Ling presented the argument that the fire must have been caused by multiple perpetrators, as it was physically impossible for a 16-year-old boy to lift two gas cylinders weighing 28kg at once.