ALOR SETAR, Feb 3 — A French national facing a possible death penalty in Malaysia on eight drug-related charges was acquitted Tuesday, freeing him after nearly two and a half years in detention.

The High Court in the northern city of Alor Setar ruled that prosecutors failed to prove that Tom Felix, 34, had control, custody or possession of the drugs in the case.

“The accused is, therefore, released and acquitted,” Alor Setar High Court judge Evawani Farisyta Mohammad said.

Felix, in court wearing a white shirt and trousers, his hands cuffed, looked visibly pleased as the judge delivered the decision.

The former Veolia executive appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight since his arrest, his parents said.

Jean Luc and Sylvie Felix were seen embracing after the ruling.

Felix and his Malaysian business partner were detained in 2023 after police discovered 1.86kg of cannabis in the common area of a home they shared.

Authorities later said Felix was also found in possession of 11.7 grams of the drug.

He denied all the charges.

If convicted, Felix faced the death penalty or a cumulative sentence of 104 years in prison, 54 strokes of the cane and a €27,000 (RM125,400) fine, his mother previously told AFP.

Drug trafficking and possession are serious offences in Malaysia, which still allows capital punishment for cases involving large quantities of narcotics.

However, death sentences are no longer mandatory, and no executions have been carried out since 2018. — AFP