MALAYSIA: MAN SENT TO GALLOWS OVER DRUG TRAFFICKING CHARGE

January 26, 2017: A man was sent to the gallows by the High Court in Ipoh after he was found guilty of trafficking in drugs.
Judicial Commissioner S.M. Komathy Suppiah handed down the sentence on Muhammad Azhar Muhammad Zaini, 25, after finding that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubts against the prosecution’s case.
However, two others jointly charged with Azhar — his friend Ahmad Asraf Mohd Nasir, 26, and brother Muhammad Naim Muhammad Zaini, 23, — were acquitted.
The trio were charged with trafficking in 4,540g of cannabis by the roadside near a food stall at Batu 19, Kuala Dal, Kampung Kuala Dal, Padang Rengas, Kuala Kangsar, at 2 pm on Aug 25, 2015.
They were charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which provides the death sentence upon conviction.
The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Wan Azimah Yaacob, while the three accused were represented by lawyer Muhammad Farhan Ahmad Fadzil. (Sources: Bernama, 26/01/2017)