Kota Kinabalu: The High Court here on Thursday acquitted and discharged a 26-year-old part-time bartender of drug trafficking and possession charges without calling for his defence.
Judge Datuk Maslinda @ Linda Mohd Ainal freed Chong Jia Zhen after ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
Chong was accused of trafficking 787.7 grammes of syabu at an apartment unit in Penampang on Oct 26, 2022, under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
He also faced a second charge of possessing 354.7 grammes of ketamine at the same time and place under Section 12(2) of the same Act.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Sofia S. Sawayan prosecuted after calling four witnesses during the hearing, while counsel Datuk Ram Singh, Prem Elmer Ganasan, and Prabjit Singh represented the accused.
