PERAK assemblyperson Terence Naidu wants the drug use charge against him dropped, claiming that the charge is “wholly unsustainable” based on the evidence against him.
Naidu’s lawyer T. Turuvandran during the mention of the case before magistrate Nurul Rasyidah Mohd Akit said that he would be submitting a representation to the prosecutor’s office on the matter immediately, news portal FMT reported.
Earlier the prosecution handed over copies of police reports, chemist’s reports, a photograph of Naidu’s urine samples and other crime scene photos to the defence.
The court set June 30 for further case management.
On April 20, Naidu, 53, pleaded not guilty to the charge of consuming methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on Jan 14.
MDMA is an illegal substance under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The Pasir Berdamar assemblyman was accused of committing the act at the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division office of the Seberang Perai Tengah police district headquarters at about 12.13am on January 14.
He was charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drug Act 1952.
Naidu faces a fine of not more than RM5,000 or a jail term of not more than two years if found guilty. He is currently out on bail of RM4,000.
He was arrested at a nightclub in Perai on Jan 13 along with 48 others and was remanded for a day and later released on police bail.
The two-term assemblyman claimed he had gone to the nightclub after being invited by a friend, who was also a client, for a Chinese New Year dinner and was taken by his friend to the entertainment outlet.
He claimed that he was poured an unusual drink while he was in the toilet.
Naidu had subsequently lodged a police report to defend his claim upon being released from detention. – May 17, 2022
