Nine years in remand, murder trial still at prosecution stage: Orang Asli man finally released

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29 — An Orang Asli man has been freed after spending nine years in remand while his murder trial was still at the prosecution stage, in a case his lawyer said had dragged on for far too long.

Sinar Harian reported that Jambi Anak Chang Taa Nam, 47, was released by the High Court in Johor Bahru yesterday, ending almost a decade behind bars.

His lawyer, Kamal Hisham Jaafar, said Jambi had originally been charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code and had remained in custody as proceedings continued.

“Jambi was originally charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

“Although nine years have passed, the trial was still at the prosecution stage,” Kamal was quoted as saying.

He said the prolonged detention had also taken a toll on Jambi’s family life, leaving him with increasingly limited contact with his relatives.

Kamal, who handled the case pro bono, said he reviewed the evidence after taking over the case and subsequently submitted representations to the prosecution.

“The trial had gone on for far too long. When I came into the case, the prosecution was still presenting its case.

“So I showed the prosecution that the case against him was very weak,” he said.

According to Kamal, the charge against Jambi was subsequently amended from murder under Section 302 to an offence under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, which covers culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Jambi was visibly emotional as Judge Atan Mustaffa Yussof Ahmad delivered the court’s decision before his release.

Kamal said his involvement in the case began only five months ago, after receiving a letter from Jambi in prison.

In it, Jambi reminded him that they had met 17 years earlier.

At the time, Jambi had accompanied his father, the batin, or village head, of an Orang Asli settlement in Johor to a Kembara Mahkota Johor programme, for which Kamal had served as programme secretary.

“After receiving the letter, I went to meet Jambi and decided to take on his case.

“Fortunately, things worked out in his favour. He hugged me and cried after finally regaining his freedom following years behind bars,” Kamal said.

In a Facebook post, Kamal said Jambi had previously been represented by several lawyers, all of whom later withdrew.

He also described Jambi as Malaysia’s “longest remand detainee”, although the claim could not be independently verified.