PASIR PUTEH: Mohamad Lazim Jusoh, the father of convicted drug trafficker Umi Azlim who is imprisoned in China, has been waiting 17 years for news of her release.
The 67-year-old former soldier said he and his family had never forgotten to pray for his eldest daughter since she was caught smuggling heroin into the country.
However, he said their prayers were finally answered after being informed that Umi Azlim would be released in 2030.
"All these years, we have been waiting patiently for this good news, and even Umi Azlim's late mother did not stop praying for her release. She looked forward to being reunited with her, but she could not make it.
"I hope l can wait another six years to meet Umi Azlim," he said.
Lazim said the family was informed about Umi Azlim's release date in 2022, when she called her aunt who lives in Johor.
"Umi Azlim called my 55-year-old sister Noraini Jusoh two years ago, saying that she will be released in 2030, which is barely six years more.
"Hearing this, we are so happy and hopefully, l will be in good health when she returns," he said.
Lazim said the last time he met his daughter was in 2008, when she was imprisoned in China.
In 2007, Umi Azlim, the eldest of six siblings, was initially sentenced to death for smuggling heroin into the country.
Later, her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in Guangzhou Prison.
She was hired by a Kuala Lumpur-based company to market foot massage equipment in China, but a drug syndicate here had duped her into trafficking the drugs instead.
In China, all death sentences are reviewed by the Supreme People's Court. Sentences with a two-year reprieve may be commuted to life imprisonment upon good behaviour.