The attorney-general will personally investigate why charges were dropped against an elderly woman accused of murdering her Indonesian maid, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said.

Sim said in a statement that he had contacted Attorney-General Tommy Thomas to seek clarification on the case and was told that the matter would be investigated.

“The A-G has responded that he will personally investigate this matter to look into the next course of action.

“I trust that the A-G and the legal system will uphold justice.

“I reiterate my stand that Malaysia needs better laws to protect migrant workers in this country,” he said.

Sixty-one-year-old M.A.S Ambika was facing the mandatory death penalty under Section 302 of the Penal Code for the murder of her maid, 26-year-old Adelina Lisao, in February last year.

Ambika was reportedly granted a full acquittal after the prosecution asked for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

Adelina died at Bukit Mertajam Hospital on February 11 last year, a day after she was admitted into the ward.

Injuries on the head and face showed she had been brutally beaten while wounds on the hands and legs had become infected.

It was also reported that Adelina had been forced to sleep with her employer’s dog on the porch for two months. 

Sim said the exploitation of migrant workers was both a human rights violation as well as socio-economic problem.

“If left unsolved, this problem will impact the local job market negatively.

“Furthermore, human rights must be protected for everyone, regardless of nationality.”

He added most importantly, the authorities must ensure such tragedies will not recur. – April 20, 2019.