Malaysian court acquits Nigerian man sentenced to death for drug trafficking in 2018
A Nigerian national escaped the gallows after the Federal Court set aside his conviction and deth sentence for drg 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 Drgs Act (DDA) 1952 and pnishable under Section 39B(2) of same Act, which carries a deth sentence or imprisonment for life and with whipping, upon conviction. He was found guilty and sentenced to deth 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 drugs 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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