G Chelvan had been held at Sungai Buloh prison as no bail was available to him.
Judicial commissioner Norhisham Ismail ruled at the close of the prosecution’s case that it had failed to establish a prima facie case against G Chelvan, 36.
Chelvan had been held at Sungai Buloh prison since his arrest on March 3, 2023 as bail was not available to him after he was charged with trafficking under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
His lawyer, Geethan Ram Vincent, described the lengthy detention as “the agony” of the case.
Chelvan was accused of trafficking in 3,030.1g of methamphetamine at Pantai Morib, Selangor, in March 2023, punishable with the death penalty or life imprisonment and at least 12 strokes of the rotan upon conviction.
Geethan said the car in which the drugs were found belonged to Chelvan’s mother.
He said Chelvan had only momentary access to the car, while a friend, identified as Lavindran, had entered the vehicle about five to 10 minutes before the police raid.
He said Chelvan was outside the car when police arrived. The officers searched the vehicle using a key found in his trouser pocket.
They found methamphetamine inside a canvas bag and a Pos Laju envelope at the rear of the vehicle.
Geethan said Chelvan had told police from the outset the bag and envelope belonged to Lavindran, and that he did not know they contained drugs.
Police arrested Lavindran several hours later based on information provided by Chelvan, but he was not charged, counsel said.
Geethan said there was also no fingerprint, DNA or CCTV evidence linking Chelvan to the drugs.
Norhisham ordered Chelvan to be acquitted and discharged after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
Deputy public prosecutor Shahrul Ekhsan Hasim appeared for the prosecution. Lavinia Raja also represented Chelvan. - FMT
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