Trio sentenced to hang ahead of mandatory death penalty reform

 

Three friends were sentenced to hang by the Kota Bharu High Court over a drug offence ahead of planned reforms to the mandatory death penalty.

The three, Mohd Nazri Mohamed, 38, Mat Zainudin Mansor, 38 and Ismail Jusoh, 47, were accused of trafficking 134.6g of methamphetamine by the roadside of a paddy field in Kampung Bendang Keladi, Tanah Merah on March 21, 2018.

The convictions, under Section 39B(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 (DDA), mandate the offence to be punished by the death penalty.

The government has indicated its intent to amend the law to allow for alternative punishments so that judges will have the discretion based on the severity of the case.

However, the announcement is only at the preliminary stage and the legislative process has yet to start in Parliament.

High Court judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh that noted the trio had fled when police raided the area where the drugs were found.

He added that the trio's defence that they had only arrived at the location and did not know about the seized items was unacceptable and ruled that they had failed to raise reasonable doubt.

"The court metes out the sentence after finding the statements by the accused cannot be believed," the judge ruled.

Jailed for caffeine possession

The trio were also sentenced to six months imprisonment for possession of 9.2g of caffeine under Section 9(1) of the Poisons Act 1952.

The punishment was provided under Section 32(2) of the same act and read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code which provides for a fine of up to RM3,000 or up to two years imprisonment or both.

Ismail was also accused of possessing 0.3g of methamphetamine, Zainuddin 0.19g and Nazri 0.2g and they were sentenced to six months in prison under Section 12(2) of the DDA.

The punishment was provided for under Section 12(3) of the same act and carries a maximum punishment of RM100,000 fine or five years imprisonment or both.

The prison terms for the possession offences were to run concurrently. - Mkini