KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — Existing death sentences will be commuted to a minimum of 30 years’ imprisonment if Malaysia abolishes capital punishment, said Datuk VK Liew.

The minister in Prime Minister's Department said this when replying to a supplementary question by Batu Kawan MP P. Kasthuriraani (PH).

He also said the commutation will not be retrospective, meaning that time already served will not be used to offset the new custodial sentence.

"Their jail term will run from the date the pardons board commutes their death sentences to life imprisonment,” Liew said at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Earlier Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong asked Liew to justify the government’s decision and timetable for the proposed abolition, further questioning if the move was hasty.

Liew said a study titled "Death Penalty in Malaysia and the Way Forward” conducted by I-CeLLS, an organisation under the Attorney General's Chambers, concluded that there was no proof to show the death penalty was an effective deterrent to crime.

The study also found that the death penalty resulted in irreparable harm when a wrongful conviction occurs.

"In Malaysia there were cases where innocent people were accused of murder due to false testimony from key witnesses. Even though the charges were set aside due to the false testimony, cases like these show that an innocent person could have been sent to the gallows,” said Liew.

Furthermore, abolishing the death penalty was part of Pakatan Harapan's manifesto and is in line with Malaysia's goal of adhering to international human rights standards and should abolish the death penalty in its entirety, he said.