PUTRAJAYA: A company director and his two children have a date with destiny as the Federal Court here yesterday upheld their death sentence for processing 368.12kg of drugs for trafficking in Lunas, Kedah about nine years ago.
Now, the last resort for Ong Hooi Beng, 54, son Eng Keat, 30, and daughter Gaik ee, 28, is to seek a royal pardon from the Pardons Board.
A five-man-bench led by Justice Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar unanimously dismissed the final appeal brought by the three.
“We find there is no reason to disturb the findings of the High Court and the Court of Appeal,” said Suriyadi, adding that the court had affirmed the conviction and death sentence on them.
The other judges presiding on the panel were Federal Court judges Tan Sri Hasan Lah, Tan Sri Abu Samah Nordin, Datuk Zaharah Ibrahim and Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Balia Yusof Wahi.
Ong and his children showed no sign of emotion when the court delivered its decision.
On Nov 20, 2011, the Alor Setar High Court found the trio guilty of processing methamphetamine with the intention of trafficking the drug.
They were charged with committing the offence at the Zmas Synergy Sdn Bhd factory in Taman Makmur, Lunas, Kulim at about 4pm on July 9, 2006.
They appealed to the Federal Court against their conviction and death sentence after they were unsuccessful in their appeal at the Court of Appeal, which was dismissed on Jan 30, this year.
According to the facts of the case, a team of police officers raided the factory and found many machines, equipment and drug subtances in the factory area.
A chemist who went to the factory on July 10, 2006 also confirmed the findings of chemicals, machines and reactor which were closely linked to the manufacture of methamphetamine.
The facts also stated that the clothings worn by the man and his children, their finger-nail clippings and hair contained traces of the drug.
In their defence, Ong and his children who gave sworn evidence at the High Court testified they were employees in the factory which produced perfume, cosmetics, slimming pills, recycled and bio-diesel oil and claimed they were not aware the factory actually produced methamphetamine.
Ong was represented by counsel Ranjit Singh Dhillon while lawyer GC Tan represented Eng Keat and lawyer C Vignesh Kumar appeared for Gaik Ee.
Habibah Haron, Hamdan Hamzah and Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan were the deputy public prosecutors. — Bernama