Malaysian court acquits Nigerian man sentenced to de*th for dr*g trafficking in 2018.
A Nigerian national escaped the gallows after the Federal Court set aside his conviction and de*th sentence for dr*g trafficking by the High Court and the Court of Appeal in Kuching, Malaysia.
The Nigerian, Jonas Chihurumanya was arrested for allegedly trafficking 158.3g of methamphetamine in a car park at Jalan Canna at about 12.05am on June 7, 2016.
He was charged under Section 39B (1)(a) of the Dangerous Dr*gs Act (DDA) 1952 and p*nishable under Section 39B(2) of same Act, which carries a de*th sentence or imprisonment for life and with whipping, upon conviction. He was found guilty and sentenced to de*th on Jan 30, 2018, by the Kuching High Court.
His counsel appealed the High Court’s decision to the Court of Appeal but was dismissed on Oct 23, 2019. He subsequently appealed to the Federal Court. A three-member panel unanimously discharged and acquitted Jonas Chihurumnanya after allowing his appeal in Zoom proceedings on Thursday, November 11,2021.
The Federal Court found that the circumstantial evidence did not irresistibly point towards Chihurumnanya having knowledge of the alleged dr*gs in the boot of the car he was driving. In the absence of knowledge, the panel held that the element of possession as required under the law was not established by the prosecution.
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