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Malaysia court frees Australian grandmother in drugs case

Nov 25, 2019 | 10:05 PM

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Malaysia’s top appeals court on Tuesday acquitted an Australian grandmother who faced the death penalty in a drugs case, her lawyer said.

Defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Australian national Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto was immediately taken into immigration custody.

Exposto was first exonerated by the High Court in 2017 on grounds that she didn’t know there were 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine in her bag when she was arrested in December 2014 at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport.

But the appeals court last year overturned the lower court’s acquittal.