Sent in by a Minion in Malaysia, this story shows politicians in an interesting light...(Story credited to Bernama News.)
A witchdoctor, her husband and assistant, sentenced to death for the grisly murder of a Malaysian lawmaker, lost their final chance for a pardon Wednesday, the official Bernama news agency said. The three were found guilty of killing legislator Mazlan Idris and chopping his body into 18 pieces in a black magic ritual. The murder was in July 1993 and they were sentenced to death in 1995.
Malaysia's High Court in the central state of Pahang, where the slaying took place, had sentenced the trio to death by hanging and the verdict was upheld by two other courts. The Pahang Pardons Board, which met Wednesday, rejected clemency for Mona Fandey, her husband and male helper, Bernama said. It was not immediately known when they would be hanged.
The murder of Mazlan, who was a Pahang state assemblyman from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), stunned Malaysians and led to calls for a ban on witchcraft, a fairly common practice among superstitious Malays.
The long-running murder hearing of the three also drew avid public interest because of the personality of Fandey, who turned the trial into a media circus with her jazzy outfits, constant smiles and theatrical acts in court. The court heard how the voodoo woman -- said to be a member of royalty, a pop singer and water ballet artiste before turning to witchcraft -- skimmed money and property from Mazlan by promising him untold riches later and victory in upcoming party elections.
Fandey, who also said she was an UMNO member, testified she had given talismans and charms to other UMNO politicians to make them more appealing to voters. Her husband, in his defense, said Mazlan owed him two million ringgit ($526,000) for a "magic cane," talisman and a traditional hat said to have belonged to former Indonesian president Sukarno.
Just before he was killed, Mazlan was made to lie on a floor, close his eyes and wait for money to "fall from the sky." He was then beheaded with an axe, skinned and chopped before his body parts were buried in a hole covered with cement.
Wow, this guy's face is right next to the word "Gullible" in the dictionary.