KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here yesterday ordered the prosecution to ensure that a young woman from China, who faces a drug trafficking charge, communicate with her family for her to decide on her lawyer.
Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru made the order on Lan Yiling, 26, after she informed the court that she needed to talk to her family as she had yet to decide whether she wanted to appoint her own lawyer or to accept a Malaysian government-assigned counsel to represent her.
Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Nazir Amir Johari told the court that he was informed that Lan had been communicating with her family three months ago.
The judge fixed March 23 to re-mention this case.
Lan, who understands Mandarin, told the court that she understood the charge against her but no plea was recorded from her.
The charge stated that Lan had allegedly trafficked in 336 grams of syabu at the arrival hall ofthe Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 1 at 6.30pm on August 17, 2014.
The indictment, under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, is punishable by the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
In a separate case, the same court set April 2 to re-mention the case of a teenage boy charged with killing his colleague.
The court put off the case of the 17-year-old juvenile after his counsel Rizwandean Bukhari M. Borhan told the court that the defence had filed a representation to the DPP’s office for the charge to be reduced.
DPP Luke Ressa Balang raised no objection.
The juvenile faces a charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.
The accuswed, who was a restaurant worker at that time, was alleged to have murdered his workmate, aged 20, at a house at Lorong 13, Kampung Sembulan here at 4.36am on May 21, 2013.
Counsel Ram Singh also acted for the juvenile.
Both the accused are currently detained in custody as their alleged offences are non-bailable.