Death penalty for woman

The Star 

SHAH ALAM: A Japanese woman said she brought a bag to Kuala Lumpur thinking it only contained clothes.

A High Court here, however, did not buy her story and sentenced her to death for trafficking in 3,493gm of methamphetamine at the KL International Airport two years ago.

Justice Siti Mariah Ahmad ruled on Tuesday that former nurse Mariko Takeuchi, 37, had failed to raise reasonable doubt in her defence.

The accused said she had gone to Dubai to meet a man named Alex, to get some money from him and to pass the cash to a good friend in Kuala Lumpur.

However, she claimed, instead of meeting him, she met a driver who said he was a friend of Alex and that he, too, was going to Kuala Lumpur.

She claimed the driver asked her to bring along a bag, which she was made to understand contained only clothes.

Takeuchi was arrested at a Customs inspection counter at the international arrival hall of the KLIA at 9.55pm on Oct 30, 2009.

In her judgement, Justice Siti Mariah said she found the testimony of the accused fake and illogical.

“The excuse that the accused went to Dubai to get the money is unreasonable and highly suspicious.

“Her own good friend could have gone there herself. Or Alex could have wired the money to her,” she said, adding the court noted that Takeuchi had been in and out of Malaysia five times between September and October 2009.

Justice Siti Mariah added: “The court finds it illogical and suspicious that going back and forth between Kuala Lumpur and Dubai, as claimed by the accused, is cheaper than staying put in Dubai.

Deputy public prosecutor Aimie Yusreena Yunus prosecuted while Takeuchi was represented by lawyer Mohd Rafik Rahem.