Remember 'Datin' Rozita? Appeals Court Has Now Allowed Her To Leave The Country For Umrah
Previously, a judge had allowed her to escape jail time because she "repented".
By Sadho Ram — 30 Mar 2019, 05:09 PM
Earlier in March, the Court of Appeal allowed a convicted criminal
— Rozita Mohamad Ali, popularly known as 'Datin' Rozita — to leave the country for a visit to Mecca to perform the Umrah in April
Last year, the High Court had sentenced the 'Datin', who pleaded guilty to abusing her Indonesian maid under Section 326, to eight years in jail, after setting aside a lower court's non-custodial sentence which had placed her on a good behaviour bond.
However, two months later, in May 2018, Rozita Mohamad was released on bail.
The 45-year-old was granted a stay of execution by the Court of Appeal pending a review of the eight-year jail sentence for causing grievous hurt to her maid.
Now, a year later, she has successfully applied to the Court of Appeal for the temporary use of her impounded passport to perform Umrah, reported the Borneo Post.
A three-member panel comprising Justices Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid, Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal and Stephen Chung Hian Guan allowed Rozita's application for the return of her passport so she can make the overseas visit to Mecca in the coming month.
Datin Rozita is seen speaking to her lawyer, Luqman Mazlan, after court proceedings earlier this month.
Image via FMTAn additional sum of RM5,000 was imposed by the Appeals Court on the Datin's last year's RM25,000 bail amount with two sureties
The Court of Appeal Justice Umi Kalthum, while accepting Rozita's appeal, ordered her to return her passport to the court on 17 April, two days after she returns home.
During the appeal, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ku Hayati Ku Haron did not object.
She, however, requested that the court impose an additional sum of RM10,000 on her bail amount, saying Rozita Mohamad Ali was a convicted person.
She also sought for Rozita to return her passport on 16 April, to which Rozita's lawyer Luqman Mazlan asked for leeway in case of a delay in his client's flight home.
The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal agreed to Luqman's request.
Rozita, in her application to the court, said that she needed her passport to perform the Umrah between 4 to 14 April, 2019
After her application for the temporary use of her impounded passport was successfully accepted by the court earlier this month, there has been no news about the case.
It is not known whether the Datin, convicted of abusing her maid, has already left the country for Mecca or will be departing in the news few days.