SHAH ALAM: A former factory worker could only manage to raise his hands in a gesture of thanks when he was acquitted and discharged by the High Court here yesterday from a charge of trafficking in 5.2kgs of cannabis, seven years ago.

A FREE MAN: Hassan gets kisses from his wife and youngest daughter after his release. — Bernama photo

Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin made the decision after finding that the defence for accused Jantan Hassan, 41, had succeeded in raising reasonable doubts in the prosecution’s case.

In his judgement, Mohd Zaki said the accused in his defence had said he had borrowed a car belonging to a supervisor of the factory named Kang Chu Kiong to send his mother who was sick to get medical treatment in Puchong.

He said the accused then fetched his mother, his wife, who was three months pregnant and a child of his to go the Puchong but they were stopped by the police while he (Jantan) was making enquiries about a masseur for his mother at the parking lot of a block of apartments in Dengkil, Sepang.

An inspection of the car led to the discovery of six slabs of the drug which were concealed in a bag kept on the floorboard below the rear passenger seat.

“Although I initially found it difficult to believe that the accused did not have possession of the cannabis as made out during the prosecution stage, it is not difficult for me to decide that no finger prints of the accused were found on the slabs and bag but there were finger prints of two other persons.

“Four of the slabs were wrapped in Chinese newspapers and although the owner of the car (Kang) was caught, police were not able to trace him after a cautioned statement was taken from him which was presented during the trial as a tape recording.

“The defence succeeded in raising reasonable doubts and as such I find that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubt.

“The accused is thus acquitted and discharged from the charge,” he said.

Jantan’s wife, an elder brother who is wheelchair-bound, sister-in-law and his three children who were seated in the public gallery were seen weeping tears of joy on hearing the verdict.

Jantan, who is from Sg Abung, Muar, Johor, was charged with trafficking in 5,207g of cannabis at the parking lot in front of Block B, Apartmen Anggerik, Putra Perdana, Dengkil, at around 3.30pm on April 23, 2003.

He was charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same act, which carries the mandatory death sentence, if convicted.

During the course of the trial, the prosecution, which was handled by deputy public prosecutor Alfred Egin, had called eight witnesses while the defence handled by counsel Suzanawati Ismail, one witness. — Bernama