SEREMBAN: Two men were acquitted and discharged of drug trafficking and possession of firearms in the High Court here today.
Judge Siti Mariam Othman made the decision on M Vinod Kumar, 37, and M Partiban, 29, after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against them.
"The court has examined all evidence from the prosecution’s witnesses and decides that both accused should be acquitted and discharged without their defence being called," she said.
Vinod and Partiban were previously jointly charged with trafficking 1.98 kilograms of cannabis at Jalan 9 Taman Labu Jaya here, at 2.55pm on March 27 last year.
They were charged under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 39B (2) of the same Act which provides for the death penalty if convicted.
Both accused were also charged with possession of a firearm in public at the same time and date, and they were charged under Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971, which provides for jail up to 14 years and six strokes of the cane.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor Hafizah Abdullah.
Vinod was represented by Kee Wei Lon and Ravindran Selvara, while Partiban was represented by G Subramaniam Nair and S Devika.
