Malaysia. Man escapes gallows on appeal

a Court of Appeal in Malaysia allowed Mohd Fauzi Ridzwan's appeal against a High Court conviction for trafficking in 4.5kg of ganja. Mohd Fauzi and farmer Abdul Rasheed Abdul Rahman, 48, who were jointly charged, had been sentenced to death. In acquitting Mohd Fauzi, justice Datuk Gopal Sri Ram, delivering a unanimous decision, said Mohd Fauzi's conviction could not be sustained because the grounds in finding him guilty were weak. Two others - Abdul Rashid Hamid, 34, and Malkhan Abu Bakar, 40 - who were jointly charged with Mohd Fauzi and Abdul Rasheed, were acquitted by the High Court without their defence being called. The offence was allegedly committed in front of a petrol kiosk in Jalan Masjid Negeri in Penang on April 17, 1998.