Suspect charged with drug possession not member of Johor royalty

JOHOR BARU: The Johor Council of Royal Court has denied that the suspect charged with drug possession is part of the royal family.

The council's president Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli said the privilege and power to appoint and include any person as a member of the Johor royal family was vested in the sovereign as provided for in Article 7(2)(e) of the Second Part of the Johor state constitution of 1895.

"The alleged suspect was never included in the royalty list.

"A royal decree of 1922 categorically excludes persons not appointed by the sovereign under the said Article from being recognised as royalty," he said in a statement here on Friday.

Bernama reported that a member of the Johor royal family was charged in the magistrate's court at Petaling Jaya on Thursday with three counts of taking methamphetamine and possessing similar drugs and ganja last June.

Tunku Alang Reza Tunku Ibrahim, 31, pleaded not guilty to the charges for the offences.

On the first charge, he was charged with taking methampetamine at the Bandar Utama police station here at 2.20am on June 4.

The charge, under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 15 and Section 38B of the same act, carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or two years' jail or both and to be placed under police supervision for two years.

On the second and third charges, he was charged with possessing 0.9g of ganja and 0.15g of methamphetamine at a unit in Ritz Perdana 2 Condominium, Bandar Damansara Perdana here at noon on the same date.

The charge, under Section 6 and read together with Section 34 of the same Act, carries a fine of up to RM20,000 or a jail term not exceeding five years, or both.

Tunku Alang Reza's friend, Puteri Nur Zawani Mohd Rasid, 33, also pleaded not guilty to two counts of possessing ganja and methamphetamine at the same place, time and date.

The court allowed Tunku Alang Reza bail of RM4,500 in one surety and Puteri Nur Zawani bail of RM3,000 and fixed Oct 31 for re-mention.