Malaysian rapper Namewee, whose legal name is Wee Meng Chee, has been formally acquitted of a charge alleging the consumption of illegal drugs following the withdrawal of the case by the prosecution.
The magistrate’s court dismissed the charge after pathology test results showed no presence of drugs in Namewee’s body. According to NST, the prosecution decided not to proceed with the case. Deputy Public Prosecutor Amritpreet Kaur Randhawa confirmed the withdrawal, and Magistrate S. Arunjothy ordered that Namewee be acquitted and discharged. The court also directed that his bail of RM2,000 be returned.
Arrest and initial allegations
Namewee was arrested on Oct 22 at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur and was subsequently charged two days later. Authorities had initially claimed that he had self-administered several prohibited substances, including amphetamine and methamphetamine. These allegations were later unsupported by medical test results.
Image credit: IMDb
Separate case remains before the court
While the drug consumption charge has been resolved, Namewee is still facing a separate legal case involving the alleged possession of ecstasy. The matter is scheduled for mention on Jan 19. If convicted, the offence carries a sentence of two to five years, along with three to nine strokes of the cane.
The arrest occurred around the same period as the death of Taiwanese influencer Hsieh Yu-hsin, also known as Iris Hsieh, who was found dead in a hotel bathtub on Oct 22.
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