March 28
MALAYSIA:
Malaysia rejects Takeuchi appeal
A Malaysian court has upheld the death sentence given to a Japanese woman for
attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.
The Court of Appeal, Malaysia's 2nd highest court, unanimously rejected
38-year-old Mariko Takeuchi's appeal on Wednesday, according to a report by the
Japan Times.
"We found that we could not see any reason to disturb the finding of facts by
the trial judge. Therefore, the appeal by the appellant is rejected. The
conviction and sentencing is hereby confirmed," Judge Mohamed Apandi Ali said.
Takeuchi was convicted and sentenced to death in October 2011 for trafficking
3.5 kg of methamphetamines into Malaysia from Dubai in 2009.
She pleaded innocent in her 1st trial, claiming she did not know she was
carrying drugs in a suitcase she was carrying as a favour for an Iranian
acquaintance.
Affifuddin Ahmad Hafifi, Takeuchi's lawyer, told reporters she will appeal to
the Federal Court, Malaysia's highest court.
Anyone found possessing a minimum of 50 grams of methamphetamine is considered
to be trafficking in a dangerous drug, which is punishable by death in
Malaysia.
(source: Bangkok Post)
NIGERIA:
Mark Mulls Death Penalty for Oil Thieves
Senate President David Mark said it has become imperative to consider death
penalty for oil thieves in Nigeria.
Mark said this yesterday while inaugurating the Senate Joint Committee mandated
to work on the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
"At the moment, there are major complaints by international oil companies about
oil theft that people are breaking their pipes and siphoning their crude. If
you ask me what we should do, I think oil theft is so serious enough that it
deserves capital punishment because individuals cannot give us a bad name.
"The law should provide such a huge punishment such that it becomes a deterrent
to those who want to indulge in oil theft. I've no problem at all that it
should attract death penalty so that we can discourage people from this menace
of oil bunkering and theft.
The big men involved in it are so powerful that the nation must take a drastic
step. It is an unusual situation that requires unusual and very drastic
solution," he said.
He said the Senate was also interested in the exploration of oil in other parts
of the country. "We also want to go for oil exploration in so many other parts
of the country because at the moment it's concentrated in Niger Delta.
If we can find oil in Niger and Chad, there is no reason we can't find oil in
the northern part of Nigeria, and it's in best interest to go for oil
exploration in other parts of the country," he said.
(source: All Africa News)
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