MALAYSIA: AUSTRALIAN NURSE FREED FROM DEATH ROW
November 9, 2012: The lawyer for Australian nurse Emma Louise L'Aiguille accused of drug trafficking in Malaysia has confirmed charges against her client have been dropped.
Emma Louise L'Aiguille was facing the death penalty after Malaysian authorities allegedly found 1.005 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden under a seat of a parked car she was in.
A Kuala Lumpur court ordered Ms L'Aiguille be freed today after nearly four months in detention.
It is understood the prosecution could not be sure the 34-year-old nurse had any knowledge of the drugs.
One of Ms L'Aiguille lawyers, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said the case was consistent with the findings of an investigation by Malaysian police.
"This matching indicates that there is more than a reasonable reason to believe that she has not been involved in the trafficking," he said.
"She is a person that is innocent, had no knowledge that in the car she was driving temporarily, there were drugs."
Her Australian lawyer, Tania Scivetti, says her client must now remain in Malaysia until the trial of Nigerian man Anthony Esikalam Ndidi begins, which, she says, could take up to six months.
Ms Scivetti says that was one of three conditions of Ms L'Aiguille's release.
"She is to cooperate with the police if they require any further statements from her," he said.
"She is to attend all court hearings for the second accused, Anthony.
"And the third condition is that she is to remain in Malaysia unless prior consent is given by the attorney-general for her to travel outside the country."
Ms Scivetti says a trial date for Ndidi has not been set.
"They've only fixed a mention date, which is December 11, pending the service of the chemist report.
"But the way the cases are moving in Malaysia, I think the trial should be fixed around April, May next year." (Sources: radioaustralia.net.au, 09/11/2012)
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