KUALA LUMPUR – The two Chileans who have been imprisoned in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur have been proposed to plead guilty by the prosecutor. If they do so, they will avoid the death penalty but face thirty years in a Malaysian prison. The trial, in which the two tourists are being accused of murder, has been going on for more than a year already.
On Monday morning Malaysian time, the two Chileans heard the deal of the prosecutor in presence of their family and lawyers. If Felipe Osiadacz (27) and Fernando Candia (30) plead guilty, they will avoid the death penalty, but will have to face thirty years in prison. Both lawyers of the Chileans refused the deal, as they insist the two men are innocent.
Osiadacz and Candia were arrested more than a year ago, on August 4, 2017, on the accusation of murder of a prostitute. According to witnesses, a Malaysian transvestite had followed the tourists into the lobby of their hotel, asking for money. After ending up in a fight, he suffered a cardiac arrest and died. Relatives of the two Chileans say that ¨according to the forensic report, the Malay was under the influence of narcotics.” The family say the tourists had asked the receptionist to call the police but when the man became more violent, the two Chileans forced him on the ground “without intention of causing any harm”.
📡🇲🇾¡ÚLTIMO MOMENTO! CHILENOS EN MALASIA. Fiscal pidió que chilenos se declaren culpables a cambio de 30 años de cárcel y así evitar pena de muerte. Defensa se negó e insistirá en inocencia de Felipe y Fernando. @T13
— Roberto Cox (@CoxRobertoCox) September 24, 2018
The two tourists have been arrested since and kept in the Sungai Buloh high security prison in Kuala Lumpur. They even risk the death penalty for their involvement in the incident. According to relatives, “everything that happened was in self-defense. Our children are innocent of murder or any other charge, this has been nothing more than a terrible accident that affected two young people who were about to enjoy their vacations”.
The final deadline for the prosecution to end its presentation of proof is on October 9. It is expected that in the same month the judge will decide whether or not to accept the accusation.
Editor-In-Chief Boris van der Spek is the founder of Chile Today.