JOHOR BARU: Three cattle farmers were acquitted and discharged of drug distribution and possession charges by a High Court here.
S. Purusothaman, 42, K. Puvanisveran, 58, and R. Viknesh, 39, walked out of court as free men on Thursday (March) after High Court Judge Datuk Abu Bakar Katar delivered his ruling on the charges brought against them six years ago.
The judge said the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against the three.
The three friends were first charged with distributing 6.2kg of methamphetamine at a cattle farm in Kampung Pengkalan Batu, Mersing, at 4.10pm on Aug 28, 2019, and with the possession of 58.68 litres of liquid containing methamphetamine at the same place and time.
When handing out his decision, Abu Bakar said the discovery of the drugs on the premises was insufficient to link Purusothaman with the control (kawalan) or possession of the drugs.
“The court found that the discovery of a key alone was insufficient to link (Puvanisveran) to the dangerous drugs found in the premises.
“The prosecution had also failed to prove a common intention among the three. Based on the reasons above, the court finds the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused.
“All the accused are ordered to be acquitted and discharged without being called to enter defence,” he added.
Outside the courtroom, Purusothaman‘s lawyer, G. Subramaniam Nair, told reporters that seven witnesses had been called since the hearing began in 2023.
The first charge was framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, read together with Section 39B(2) of the same law, which carries a mandatory death sentence of life imprisonment and at least 12 strokes of the cane if found guilty.
The second charge, for drug possession, was framed under Section 12(2) of the same law and is punishable under Section 12(3) of the same law, which carries a fine of RM1000,000 or a maximum of five years in prison, or both upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Juanita Mohd Said led the prosecution.
