KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Lawyers for a former Malaysian ambassador have today written a letter to Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Idrus Harun, asking for him to not be charged over the recent discovery of more than 102 cannabis plants at his property at Janda Baik, Pahang.
Rahmat Hazlan, a lawyer for both the former diplomat and his son, said this letter was emailed today.
“We have just sent a representation letter to the attorney general, seeking to not charge the former ambassador and a more lenient charge for the son,” he told Malay Mail.
Rahmat said the letter has also been copied to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, several ministers and some of the MPs who are part of the medical marijuana caucus in Parliament.
Apart from Ismail Sabri, the letter was also copied to de facto law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman in his capacity as chairman of the medical cannabis caucus, as well as three of the caucus members — Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (Pengerang), Khalid Abd Samad (Shah Alam), Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar (Kuala Langat), and the Pahang prosecution director Mohammad Khalid Ab Karim.
Rahmat confirmed that the letter was copied to the medical cannabis caucus and ministers in order to push for amendments to the law to enable the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
The former diplomat was arrested on May 21 and remanded or held by the police for seven days to assist in investigations.
The former diplomat was then released on May 28 when the Magistrates’ Court in Bentong, Pahang rejected a bid by the police to extend the remand period, with Rahmat previously saying that the magistrate had been satisfied that there is no evidence to implicate the former envoy with any offences.
The former diplomat’s son was arrested on May 23 and had been remanded for seven days until May 30, with the Magistrates’ Court in Bentong allowing the police to further remand the son for five days until June 4 or this Saturday.
Both the former diplomat and his son were being investigated under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, specifically Section 6B for alleged cultivation of cannabis and Section 39B for alleged trafficking of cannabis.
Section 6B covers the offence of planting or cultivating certain plants — from which raw opium, coca leaves, poppy-straw or cannabis can be obtained — or allowing the planting or remaining of such planted plants on property owned or occupied by the offender.
Section 39B covers the offence of trafficking in dangerous drugs, or offering to traffic or doing or offering to do actions in preparation or for the purpose of trafficking dangerous drugs.
On May 24, Pahang police chief Datuk Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the police had raided the former diplomat’s property and confiscated 102 cannabis trees at an estimated value of RM61,200 and other items.
Out of the 102 trees, police had found 60 of them planted and eight in a tent, while 34 of them are young trees.
Ramli had said the case is considered the largest seizure of cannabis trees in the country’s narcotics history, with previous seizures involving only cannabis trees grown in pots.
