Mona Fandey

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In this Malay name, there is no family name. The name Ismail is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Maznah.
Mona Fandey
Mona Fandey.jpg
Mona Fandey in court
Born
Nur Maznah binti Ismail

(1956-01-01)1 January 1956
Kangar, Perlis, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia)
Died2 November 2001(2001-11-02) (aged 45)
Kajang Prison, Selangor, Malaysia
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Resting placeKajang Cemetery, Selangor, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
OccupationPop singer
Criminal statusExecuted on 2 November 2001
Spouse(s)Mohamad Nor Affandi Abdul Rahman (deceased - executed with her)
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal chargeMurder of Datuk Mazlan Idris
PenaltyDeath penalty

Nur Maznah Ismail (1 January 1956 - 2 November 2001), better known as Mona Fandey, was a Malaysian pop singer and murderer. She was executed on 2 November 2001 at the age of 45, after being convicted of the murder of a politician, Mazlan Idris in 1993.

After she killed Mazlan Idris, she reportedly went on a shopping spree in Pahang right after withdrawing 300,000USD from a local bank.

Trial and execution[]

Mazlan was reported missing on 2 July 1993 after withdrawing RM 300,000 from a bank. After the murder, Mona was reported to have been on a shopping spree where she bought a Mercedes-Benz and had a facelift.[1] It was alleged that the murder occurred between 10:00 PM and midnight on 18 July 1993. On 22 July 1993, police found Mazlan's body; Mona, her husband Affandi and their assistant Juraimi were arrested and a highly publicised trial began. They were tried in Temerloh High Court by a 7-person jury (trial by jury was abolished from 1 January 1995). The High Court found all three of them guilty and sentenced them to death by hanging. Mona and the others filed appeals to the Federal Court and in 1999, the court dismissed their appeals and upheld the death sentence. Finally, the three convicts sought to obtain a pardon from the Pardons Board of Pahang, their final chance of redemption. However, the board refused to give clemency. The three were given a last meal of KFC on the night before their execution. Mona, Affandy and Juraimi were hanged on 2 November 2001 at Kajang Prison. A prison official said the trio expressed no remorse at the pre-dawn execution.[2]

Throughout the trial, Mona exhibited strange behaviour including appearing cheerful, constantly smiling and posing for press photographers. She dressed extravagantly with bright and colourful designs on her dress.[1] She also remarked, "looks like I have many fans".[3] It was also reported that during her execution she uttered the words "aku takkan mati", meaning "I will never die", and was still calm and smiling.[4]

Legacy[]

Mona Fandey gained more notoriety than she had when she was still a pop singer. There was wide local and even international media coverage and plenty of public interest. Anti-death penalty movements including Amnesty International voiced their opposition to the execution of the trio.[5] In 2002, Malaysian film director Amir Muhammad made a short film entitled Mona in his shorts series.

In 2006, a film by Dain Iskandar Said entitled Dukun was widely assumed to be based on Mona Fandey. The public screening of this highly anticipated film was constantly pushed back, most likely due to concerns relating to the contents of the film, the relationship with Mona Fandey, and the implications for her family.[6] However, the movie was leaked online through Facebook early February 2018.[7] The movie was released in cinemas on 5 April 2018.[8]

The crime was covered in a chapter called Pop Singer Witch Doctor in the best-selling Malaysian Murders & Mysteries book written by journalists Martin Vengadesan and Andrew Sagayam. [9]

The Mona Fandey affair was one of the last jury trials to be conducted in Malaysia. The sensational nature of the case contributed toward the government's decision to discontinue the jury system. All trials by jury were abolished on 1 January 1995.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Malaysian trio hanged for ritual murder", Kyodo News International, 5 November 2001. Accessed 14 August 2007.
  2. ^ "Malaysia hangs three for witchcraft murder.", BBC News, 2 November 2001. Accessed 12 June 2008.
  3. ^ "Butchered like animals" Archived 7 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, New Straits Times, 5 August 2007.
  4. ^ Mona Fandey. A modern witchcraft murder., Capital Punishment U.K. Accessed 14 August 2007. Archived 4 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Malaysia: Imminent execution"[permanent dead link], Amnesty International. Accessed 14 August 2007.
  6. ^ Koay, Allan, "Will Dukun ever charm viewers?" Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, The Star, 3 June 2007.
  7. ^ Khor, Samantha (2 April 2018). "The Horror Movie Inspired By Mona Fandey Is Finally In Cinemas After An 11-Year Ban". SAYS.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Dain Said's Controversial Horror Film 'Dukun' Finally Out After 10 Years | Star2.com". Star2.com. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  9. ^ https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2019/12/543567/murder-they-wrote-%E2%80%94-exciting-new-book-malaysian-murders-and
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