The Supreme Court in Jeddah, headed by the chief justice, on Sunday upheld the death sentence for three Sri Lankans for the 2007 murder of a 60-year-old Yemeni, Omar Yeslam.

The trio had been handed death and three others were sentenced to jail terms and lashing. The charges against them were robbery, sowing dissent on earth and threatening public order and peace.

K.A.P. Gayan Uditha Nanayakkara, Thushara Dinesh Perera alias Isaac Christy Vedamanikkam and W. M. Nilantha Bandara Tennakoon were sentenced to death. P.R.M. Ranjith Wasantha Kumara, Noora Mohamed and Rajiya Abdul Samad were sentenced to 10 years, 4 years and 2 years imprisonment respectively as well as lashing.

Five Indians, also involved in the crime, were sentenced by the court to varying terms of imprisonment and lashing.

Arab News learned that the Jeddah Supreme Court had forwarded the copy of the verdict to the Makkah governor seeking approval for the execution of the judgment.

Sri Lankan Consul General Adam Bawa Uthumalebbe told Arab News that the judgment had been recently affirmed by a five-member panel of judges presided over by the chief justice. The panel pronounced it as a case that disqualified the accused from seeking pardon on the payment of blood money.

Uthumalebbe said his country’s Urban Development Minister Rauf Hakeem would visit Saudi Arabia to request the Saudi government to alter the punishment so that a pardon could be negotiated with the kin of the victim on payment of blood money. The consulate in Jeddah has been providing consular assistance to the convicts.