Local actor Farid Kamil has been fined RM5,000 by the Court of Appeal for administering drugs to himself four years ago.
In allowing the 41-year-old’s appeal on his sentence, a three-member bench led by Justice Kamaludin Said substituted a nine-month jail term imposed by a magistrate to the fine.
Farid, 41, will now begin a two-year police supervision, the bench decided. The Lagenda Budak Setan actor has also settled the fine imposed on him.
There were no aggravating circumstances that warranted a custodial sentence, according to Kamaludin, who was seated alongside Justices Ahmad Nasfy Yasin and See Mee Chun.
“The jail term is also not in line with sentencing trends for the offence (committed by Farid),” Free Malaysia Today reported Justice Kamaludin as saying.
A previous argument made by his lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik was that the magistrate erred by imposing the jail sentence without taking Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 into account.
“A fine was made the first option, only to be followed by an imprisonment term,” said Hisyam, who was assisted by Kee Wei Lon and Low Wei Loke.
Additionally, he cited nine case laws in which trial courts fined defendants for using or self-administering drugs.
On Jan. 11, 2018, at 4:30 p.m., Farid committed the offence of self-administering ganja (tetra hydrocannibol).
On May 15, 2019, the Petaling Jaya magistrates’ court handed down a nine-month prison term and a two-year supervision period under the National Anti-Drugs Agency.
In November 2019, the Shah Alam High Court rejected his appeal.
Eyu Ghim Siang, a deputy public prosecutor, represented the prosecution.
Farid will be playing prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in a biopic titled Jalan Masih Panjang – a joint production between Malaysia and Indonesia – which is slated for release next year.
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