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PUTRAJAYA: The government will order all diplomatic staff from the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur and their dependents to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, says Wisma Putra.
He said the government was now forced by the North Korean government’s decision to close the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang, whose operations had been suspended since 2017.
Wisma Putra also noted that Malaysia had ensured that the extradition of the North Korean citizen Mun Chol-myong was carried out in accordance with the principles of justice, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
The statement on Friday (March 19) indicated that the extradition only took place after exhaustion of due legal process and that Mun’s rights while in custody were also guaranteed and fulfilled, including his access to his own defense attorney. , as well as consular assistance and family visits.
“The Malaysian government had to put aside a series of efforts by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the Malaysian executive to intervene in our judicial and legal system,” he said in response to North Korea’s decision to sever ties with Malaysia.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mun was detained by the Malaysian authority on May 14, 2019 pursuant to the provisional arrest warrant issued under Section 13 (1) (b) of the Extradition Act of 1992 after of allegations of conspiracy to launder money and money laundering. in addition to violating United Nations sanctions.
These acts are also crimes under the laws of Malaysia.
He appeared before the Kuala Lumpur Session Court on December 13, 2019, leading to a conviction against him.
His application for the writ of habeas corpus in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on December 29, 2019 and his appeal in the Federal Court on October 8, 2020 were dismissed, as the courts found that his application and appeal were unjustified and they were not fulfilled. the requirements of the Extradition Law.
Wisma Putra also said that Malaysia regretted North Korea’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia.
Malaysia denounces the decision as hostile and unconstructive, and does not respect the spirit of mutual respect and good neighborly relations among members of the international community.
“Malaysia has always regarded the DPRK as a close partner since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973.
Malaysia was one of the first to do so, and it continued to support the DPRK during its difficult times. Malaysia had been persistent in seeking concrete efforts to strengthen our relations with the DPRK even after the deplorable assassination of Kim Jong-nam in 2017.
“In this regard, the DPRK’s unilateral decision is clearly unjustified, disproportionate and certainly disruptive to the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in our region,” the statement said.
Earlier, North Korea said it would sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia after a court ruled that a North Korean man could be extradited to the United States to face money laundering charges, state media KCNA reported on Friday (March 19).
The North Korean Foreign Ministry also warned that Washington would “pay a price,” in a KCNA statement.
On March 9, the Malaysian court ruled that a North Korean man, Mun Chol-myong, could be extradited to the United States to face money laundering charges, according to media reports.
Mun was arrested in 2019 after the United States accused him of laundering funds through front companies and issuing fraudulent documents to support illicit shipments to North Korea. He opposed the extradition request, arguing that it was politically motivated.
The ministry described the extradition as a “nefarious act and an unforgivably serious crime” on the part of the Malaysian authorities, who had “offered our citizen as a sacrifice for the hostile action of the United States in defiance of recognized international laws.”
Malaysia’s actions had destroyed “the whole foundation of bilateral relations based on respect for sovereignty,” he said.
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