IRANIAN TRADER FREED OF DRUG TRAFFICKING CHARGE, COLLEAGUE ORDERED TO ENTER DEFENCE

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- The High Court here Thursday freed an Iranian
carpet trader of a drug trafficking charge without calling for his defence, but
ordered his colleague to enter his defence.

Judge Ghazali Cha ordered Omid Lashkari Mojtaba to be released after finding
that the prosecution had failed to produce strong evidence against him, but
found that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a prima facie case
against Hossein Nsiri Zahed.

He ordered Omid to be deported and not to be allowed to enter Malaysian again,
except when necessary, and fixed Feb 7 for Hossien, also an Iranian, to enter
his defence.

In his judgment, Ghazali said the prosecution failed to prove that Omid had
joint intention to smuggle in the drug because the bag which contained the drug
was not with him.

Instead, he said, it was Hossein who knew the serial number on the bag.

Omid, 31, was charged with trafficking in 7,515 gm of methamphetamine with
Hossein, 50, on a road leading to Pantai Hill Park, Pantai Dalam here, at 4.40pm
on March 9 last year.

Omid and Hossein were represented by lawyer N. Sivanathan, while deputy public
prosecutor Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar appeared for the prosecution.
-- BERNAMA