Court of Appeal rejects appeals, upholds life sentences for drug trafficking duo

In Putrajaya, a Court of Appeal panel led by Datuk Noorin Badaruddin rejected the appeals of Vimal Kumar Sugumaran and Navinrah K. Rajah, maintaining their life sentences and twelve strokes of the rotan for trafficking 39.9 g of heroin and monoacetylmorphine. The judges, including Datuk Mohd Radzi Abdul Hamid and Datuk Seri Latifah Mohd Tahar, ruled that the missing yellowish paper bag, mishandled by an investigating officer, did not undermine the prosecution because other credible evidence established its contents and the defendants’ involvement.

The court described the officer’s conduct as careless but not a deliberate attempt to tamper with evidence. It upheld the High Court’s finding of inconsistencies in the appellants’ testimonies and affirmed the presumption of trafficking based on the balance of probabilities. Legal representatives Rajpal Singh and Tiew Poh Nee defended the appellants, while deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Arif Aizuddin Masrom represented the state.