Malaysian court acquits French man on drug charges

A French national facing a possible death sentence in Malaysia on eight drug-related charges was acquitted Tuesday, freeing him after nearly two and a half years in detention.

The High Court in the northern city of Alor Setar ruled that prosecutors failed to prove that Tom Felix, 34, had control, custody or possession of the drugs in the case.

"The accused is, therefore, released and acquitted," Alor Setar High Court judge Evawani Farisyta Mohammad said.

Felix, in court wearing a white shirt and trousers, his hands cuffed, looked visibly pleased as the judge delivered the decision.

His parents, Jean Luc and Sylvie Felix, embraced after the ruling.

"We are very happy, relieved. It's finally the end of a nightmare, and we are so happy," Sylvie Felix told AFP.

"We are very grateful that we are supported by all our family and that now that he's acquitted... we (will) try to make his return (to France) safe and fast."

"This is the end of a very long nightmare for Tom, who had lived through the hell of an unjust accusation and an undignified detention," Felix's lawyer François Zimeray told AFP.

It was also the end for his family, "who held strong against the temptation of despair".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he was "immensely relieved" after Felix's acquittal.

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"My thoughts are with his parents, whom I met twice last year and who will finally be able to reunite with their son," Barrot said on France Television, adding that Felix would be able to return to France.

Felix and his parents were at the Malaysian immigration office in Alor Setar on Tuesday afternoon, where he was expected to be handed his passport before being freed.

Felix, a former Veolia executive, and his Malaysian business partner were detained in 2023 after police discovered 1.86 kilograms of cannabis in the common area of a home they shared.

Authorities later said Felix was also found in possession of 11.7 grams of the drug.

He denied all the charges.

If convicted, Felix faced the death penalty or a cumulative sentence of 104 years in prison, 54 strokes of the cane and a 27,000 euro ($31,000) fine, his mother previously told AFP.

Drug trafficking and possession are serious offences in Malaysia, which still allows capital punishment for cases involving large quantities of narcotics.

However, death sentences are no longer mandatory, and no executions have been carried out since 2018.

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