Five men will be tried for the murder of the second wife of the Raja Di Hilir of Perak, Hasleza Ishak, 26, when the hearing begins at the Taiping High Court on Tuesday..

According to Bernama, padi farmer Mat Saad Mat Isa, 49, house builder Sabaruddin Non, 33, and fisherman J. Manimaran, 26, are being charged with the murder of the second wife of Raja Jaafar Raja Muda on Oct 6 last year between 6pm and 11pm at Km 63, Jalan Sumpitan in the district of Larut, Matang and Selama.

The trio are being charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Meanwhile, an employee at the Istana Raja Di Hilir, Tengku Aristonsjah Tengku Mohamad Ansany, 40, and Rahim Ismail, 46, who has no permanent job, are being charged with conspiracy with the three accused in causing Hasleza's death.

Death sentence

They are being charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code and Section 302 of the same Code, and face the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

All five were brought to the Taiping Magistrate's Court on Oct 24 before the case was transferred to the Taiping High Court.

Taiping High Court Judge Datuk V.T. Singham had on Nov 8 fixed hearing on the case for Jan 21 to 24 and Feb 17 to 21, the report said.

Hasleza, who had one child from her previous marriage, married Raja Jaafar in January last year.

She was abducted from her home in Ipoh on Oct 6 before her body was found five days later.

Raja Jaafar's first wife, Raja Puan Muda Perak Raja Nor Mahani Raja Shahar Shah, who was remanded for seven days to assist in the police investigation was released unconditionally last Oct 30.