A Singaporean businessman and his two sons were acquitted by the Malaysian High Court after spending over five years in custody on cannabis trafficking and cultivation charges that carried the death penalty. The judge ruled prosecutors failed to establish a prima facie case, meaning the trio did not have to present a defence. Despite the acquittal, Malaysian immigration detained them immediately after the ruling while the prosecution considers an appeal. The men had been held since March 2021 on charges related to 315.3g of cannabis and eight cannabis plants found at a rented house. Their lawyers argued the prosecution failed to prove the family rented the property, as the tenant was listed as a man named Sean Pete with no evidence linking the accused to that name.
Not guilty: Singapore an father and two sons detained in Malaysia for drug trafficking charges acquitted by judge after 5 yearsMALAYSIA/SINGAPORE: A Singapore an businessman and his two sons have been acquitted after spending more than five years in custody in Malaysia over cannabis trafficking and cultivation charges that carried the possibility of the death penalty.
The Malaysian High Court ruled that prosecutors failed to establish a prima facie case against Aniell Sebhnani, 63, and his sons, Nethan Sebhnani, 38, and Sedhant Sebhnani, 35. The decision meant the trio didn’t have to enter their defence.
However, they weren’t able to return to Singapore because Malaysian immigration officers detained them immediately after the ruling while the prosecution considers an appeal. The three men had been held on remand since their arrest on 25 March 2021, Free Malaysia Today reported . Justice Aslam Zainuddin ruled that the prosecution had failed to produce enough evidence to allow the case to continue.
The men had faced charges of trafficking 315.3 g of cannabis and cultivating eight cannabis plants at a rented house in Semenyih, Selangor. Police said they found 25 glass bottles containing cannabis, along with cannabis plants and equipment such as temperature control devices and fans, during a raid. The trafficking charge, brought under Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, carries the death penalty or life imprisonment, together with at least 12 strokes of the cane upon conviction.
The cultivation charge carries life imprisonment and a minimum of six strokes. Lawyers Lavinia Raja and Geethan Ram Vincent said prosecutors failed to prove that the family rented the property where the cannabis was found. According to court records, the tenant was listed as a man named “Sean Pete”. The prosecution claimed one of the accused used that name, but the defence said no evidence established that connection.
The defence also pointed to evidence suggesting another person had access to the house after the police raid. They said the property’s condition had changed before the investigating officer later inspected it. The raiding officer agreed when shown photographs during the trial. Although the court freed the three men, they didn’t regain their freedom immediately.
Malaysian immigration authorities detained them following the acquittal, preventing their return to Singapore. Prosecutors are expected to appeal the acquittal, according to FMT. Justice in any criminal case depends on evidence that can stand up in court. When that standard isn’t met, the courts must follow the law, regardless of how serious the original allegations are.
The Singapore Land Authority has disclosed that the personal data of about 70,000 individuals was affected in a data security incident involving an IBM-managed cloud environment. Singapore accounted for $8.90b of Southeast Asia’s $9.55b tech funding in the first half of 2026, or 94%, according to Tracxn’s Southeast Asia Tech H1 2026 reportdocument.addEventListener=>{ const trigger=document.getElementById; if { const observer=new IntersectionObserver=>{ entries.forEach { lazyLoader; // You should define lazyLoader elsewhere or inline here observer.unobserve; // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); observer.observe; } else { // Fallback setTimeout; } });
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