KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Feb — Three Reserve Officer Training Corps (PALAPES) instructors are expected to be charged at the Kota Tinggi Sessions Court in Johor today in connection with the death of trainee Syamsul Haris Shamsudin.
Inspector-General of Police Mohd Khalid Ismail said the police police had received the investigation papers from the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), which had previously classified the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
He said the AGC has now directed that the three PALAPES instructors, who are Malaysian Armed Forces officers, be charged under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
“The charges will be brought under Section 304(a) read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment and may also include a fine,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Khalid urged the public to refrain from speculation as the criminal proceedings are set to begin and to respect the country’s judicial process.
Syamsul Haris, 22, died at Kota Tinggi Hospital on July 28 last year after undergoing training at the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram. He was buried at the Kampung Rinching Ulu Islamic Cemetery in Semenyih, Selangor.
On August 26 last year, the High Court ordered the exhumation of his remains to facilitate a second post-mortem, which was conducted at Kuala Lumpur Hospital on Aug 30. He was reburied the same day.
On December 2, the AGC instructed police to reclassify the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code for further investigation after being briefed on the findings.
