The prosecution offered a plea bargain to the seven Somalians charged with firing at Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) commandos during an attempted robbery in the Gulf of Aden, last year.  

Edmund Bon, the lawyer representing the accused, said the matter was raised before High Court Judge Kamardin Hashim today.  

He said the prosecution offered alternative charges for all the accused which commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment, upon conviction.    

Prior to this, they were charged under Section 3 of the Fire Arms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971 which carried the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

 

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abas confirmed the matter, saying remention was fixed for Oct 8.  

The court had initially set the trial for today with the prosecution intending to call 110 witnesses, including crew members of the vessel MT Bunga Laurel .

On Jan 20, 2011, RMN commandos came to the aid of MT Bunga Laurel when Somali pirates armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols attempted to rob the vessel, in a rescue operation codenamed ‘ Fajar ’ which was jointly conducted with the Royal Malaysian Air Force.   

- Bernama