Indonesian national Siti Aisyah (C) smiles while leaving the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur on March 11, 2019 after her trial for her alleged role in the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. 鈥� An Indonesian woman accused of assassinating the North Korean leader鈥檚 half-brother was to be freed March 11 after a prosecutor withdrew a murder charge against her, a judge said. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)
KUALA LUMPUR 鈥� Malaysia鈥檚 prime minister said Tuesday the surprise release of an Indonesian woman who was on trial for assassinating the North Korean leader鈥檚 half-brother followed the 鈥渞ule of law鈥�, after suspicions of meddling amid an intense lobbying effort by Jakarta.
Siti Aisyah was freed by a Malaysian court Monday after prosecutors withdrew a murder charge without any explanation, more than two years after her arrest for the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport.
Her sudden release prompted questions about interference in Malaysia鈥檚 justice system, particularly after the Indonesian government revealed that it had lobbied Kuala Lumpur on the case, including pressure from President Joko Widodo.
But Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in parliament that the decision was in line with 鈥渢he rule of law鈥�.
鈥淭here is a law that allows charges to be withdrawn. That was what happened. I do not know in detail the reasons,鈥� he said, adding he was unaware of any negotiations between Indonesia and Malaysia on the issue.
On Monday, Indonesian officials released a letter from the country鈥檚 justice minister to Malaysia鈥檚 attorney-general, which said Aisyah had been 鈥渄eceived鈥� and sought her release. The attorney-general agreed to the request last week.
Her swift release had sparked anger in Malaysia, and accusations that the government had caved in to diplomatic pressure.
She had been on trial alongside a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, who was left distraught as she was not freed at the same time.
The pair always denied murder, insisting they were tricked by North Korean spies into carrying out the Cold War-style hit using a toxic nerve agent and thought it was just a prank.
Huong鈥檚 lawyers have now asked the attorney-general to withdraw her murder charge, and prosecutors may on Thursday inform the Shah Alam High Court, outside Kuala Lumpur, whether the application has been successful.
The women鈥檚 lawyers have presented them as scapegoats. They say the real murderers are four North Koreans 鈥� formally accused of the crime alongside the women 鈥� who fled Malaysia shortly after the assassination.
South Korea accuses the North of plotting the murder of Kim, an estranged relative of Kim Jong Un who was once seen as heir apparent to the North Korean leadership. Pyongyang denies the accusation. /gsg