NARATHIWAT: Singer Wan Norshaheeda Azlin Wan Ismail, known as Eda Ezrin (pic), 30, along with her husband and four friends, will remain in Narathiwat Provincial Prison in Thailand for another month.
According to Sinar Harian, the Narathiwat Provincial Court granted the prosecutor's second request to extend the deadline for filing an appeal against their acquittal on charges of possessing 6,059 methamphetamine pills.
This situation has dashed the hopes of Eda Ezrin, her husband, and their four friends to be fully released on May 6.
A Narathiwat Provincial Court spokesperson said the court approved the prosecutor's request on Friday (May 2) morning.
"The first request to extend the appeal filing period was due to end next Tuesday (May 6). However, the prosecutor submitted a second request for an extension yesterday morning.
"This second extension period is for one month and will end on June 6. The prosecutor can make a third and final request, which would expire on July 6, before filing the official appeal," the spokesperson said.
According to the spokesperson, the prosecutor cited the need to gather new evidence and witnesses for the appeal process.
Sinar Harian reported on April 6 that Eda Ezrin, her husband, and four friends must remain in Narathiwat Provincial Prison for at least another month starting Sunday (May 3).
This decision was made after the Narathiwat Provincial Court accepted the request and granted the Regional Prosecutor permission to extend the appeal submission period regarding the release of all the individuals.
Earlier, Eda Ezrin, her husband, and their four friends were spared imprisonment after being acquitted of charges of possessing 6,059 methamphetamine pills found in a hotel room in Golok on Nov 1 last year.
The decision was made by a panel of two judges after reviewing all the prosecution witness statements during the case mention proceedings on February 11, 13, and 14.
However, despite being acquitted of the charges, Eda Ezrin, her husband, and their four friends must return to Narathiwat Provincial Prison to allow the prosecution to file an appeal against the court's decision.
Eda Ezrin's defence lawyer, Sufian Abdul Aziz, said the prosecutor could file an appeal within one to four months.
