Singaporean man and two sons detained for five years in Malaysia for drug trafficking, acquitted by judge
Last Friday (3 July), a Singaporean man and his two sons received an acquittal from a Malaysian court after previously having been charged with drug trafficking five years ago.
Malaysian immigration authorities detained them while awaiting a likely appeal from the prosecution.
Singaporean man and sons face death penalty over drug trafficking charge
On 4 July, Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported on the case involving 63-year-old Singaporean Aniell Sebhnani and his sons, aged 38 and 35.
Back on 25 March 2021, the police raided a rented house in Selangor, where the three men were present.
Source: Lavinia Raja via Free Malaysia Today
On the third storey, police discovered 25 glass bottles containing cannabis, also known as marijuana.
Officers also found two canvases containing cannabis plants. They were found with equipment allegedly meant to help the plants grow.
The police arrested the three men, who were charged with drug trafficking of 315.3 grams of cannabis and cultivating eight plants.
They have been held on remand since their arrest in March 2021.
If found guilty of the drug trafficking charge, they face the death penalty or life imprisonment and whipping of not less than 12 strokes.
Defence argues no evidence that they rented the house in Malaysia
Defence lawyers Geethan Ram Vincent and Lavinia Raja argued that there was no proof that the three men rented the house.
The tenant was listed as “Sean Pete”. If the trio did not rent the house, they did not have custody or control of the cannabis within.
Source: Dmitry_Tishchenko on Canva, for illustration purposes only
In response, the prosecution accused one of the three men of being “Sean Pete”, which the defence said had not been proven.
Additionally, the accused’s lawyers claimed that a third party had access to the house and altered its condition after the raid. The raiding officer corroborated this allegation.
Prosecution likely to appeal judge’s decision
The judge thus acquitted the three men, stating that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against them.
This means the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to the defence stage.
The men did not enjoy their newfound freedom for long. Malaysian immigration subsequently arrested and detained them, preventing them from an immediate return to Singapore.
FMT reported that the prosecution is likely to appeal the judge’s decision.
Also read: 2 M’sians arrested after attempting to smuggle over 2kg of drugs through Woodlands Checkpoint
2 M’sians arrested after attempting to smuggle over 2kg of drugs through Woodlands Checkpoint
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Lavinia Raja via Free Malaysia Today.
