SHAH ALAM, Malaysia: A Nigerian man escaped the gallows when the High Court here on Friday amended his charge and sentenced him to five years' jail for bringing cocaine in transit at the KL International Airport (KLIA) seven years ago for distribution in another country.
Source: Bernama
- Justice Mohd Zaki Md.Yasin ordered Samuel Chuks, 40, an unemployed, to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on May 29, 2002.
- However, he walked out a free man as he had been in custody for the past seven years.
- Chuks was initially charged with trafficking in 573.8gm of cocaine at the luggage collection counter on the third floor of the KLIA main terminal building at 1.50pm on May 29, 2002.
- The offence under section 39B(1)(A) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 carries the mandatory death sentence, if convicted.
- Mohd Zaki amended the charge to one under Section 21 (6) of the Act, which is for bringing the drug in transit for the purpose of distribution in another country, after 10 witnesses took to the stand.
- The offence carries a maximum fine of RM20,000 or a five years' jail, or both.
- In his judgment, Mohd Zaki said he did not believe Chuks' defence that he had no knowledge of the drugs.
- He, however, gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was only in transit and was on his way to Thailand when he was caught with the drugs.
- Deputy public prosecutor Alfred Egin prosecuted while Chuks was represented by counsel Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin.
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