PUTRAJAYA cannot commute the sentences of current death-row prisoners as amendment to the law has yet to be finalised, said Law Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

He said the fate of these convicted felons may change as a tribunal to review their sentences is on the cards.

Currently, there are 1,342 death-row prisoners in the country, he added.

Wan Junaidi said a moratorium on executions that has been in place since 2018 will remain until the law is finalised.

“The government cannot give a blanket ruling on commuting cases as some inmates were convicted of serious crimes with substantial incriminating evidence,” he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.

Wan Junaidi said the attorney-general has suggested a tribunal to review the current death sentences.

He added that the tribunal will be made up of judges from the two highest courts in Malaysia.

Putrajaya last week announced that it has agreed to abolish the mandatory death penalty and give judges the discretion to hand down sentences.

The decision follows the presentation of the Malanjum report during a cabinet meeting on June 8.

The government also agreed that further studies are necessary concerning the proposed alternative sentences for 11 offences that carry the mandatory death penalty.

Crimes currently punishable by death in Malaysia include drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, terrorism and the possession of firearms.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Saturday said the death penalty remains and will not be abolished, but it will no longer be mandatory. – June 13, 2022.