PUTRAJAYA, July 7 — The Court of Appeal yesterday granted bail of RM3,000 with two sureties each to 14 foreign nationals pending disposal of their trial on drug possession charges.
A three-member bench comprising Justice Datuk Noorin Badaruddin, Datuk Mohd Radzi Abdul Hamid and Datuk Meor Hashimi Abdul Hamid imposed several bail conditions, which include that the bailors must be Malaysian citizens with permanent residential addresses in Malaysia.
Six of the applicants were among 14 individuals charged at a Magistrate’s Court on May 26 with possessing 15 grammes of methamphetamine.
Yang Yang of China; Rio Antoni, Billy Hariyanto, Erwin Wijaya, Edy Tjong from Indonesia; and Pornchai Kaewsapsak of Thailand, aged between 25 and 43, pleaded not guilty, but were denied bail, prompting them to file a revision application at the High Court.
However, on May 29, the High Court dismissed their revision application, and they subsequently filed a fresh bail application to the Court of Appeal.
On that same date (May 26), another eight foreign nationals aged between 29 and 39 years old pleaded not guilty before a different Magistrate’s Court to a charge of possessing 2.7 grammes of ecstasy pills. They were initially granted bail of RM3,000 with two sureties each, on condition that the bailors be Malaysian citizens.
They were Joshua Bangun, Alexander Wipyanou, and Jeffry Jayadi from Indonesia; Romar Languji from the Philippines; Yue Zhou from China; and Krassanai Phonchaijia, Tanowit Suttiglud, and Kunut Lertphirun from Thailand.
However, on June 3 this year, the High Court called up their case for revision and subsequently revoked the bail granted to the eight accused, leading them to file the present bail applications before the Court of Appeal.
The offences were allegedly committed in a hotel room in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, at about 4.30am on May 24, this year.
Lawyers Datuk N. Sivananthan and Sharifah Annafiza Al-Shahab represented the six applicants, while counsel Yong Jei Beng appeared for the other eight. Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Ariff Aizuddin Masrom appeared for the prosecution. — Bernama
