French man facing death in Malaysia drug trial to hear fate soon
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Tom Felix, 34, has denied all charges since the police arrested him in 2023 after they found several hundred grams of cannabis in the common area of a home he shared.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KUALA LUMPUR – A French man facing a potential death sentence for drug possession and trafficking in Malaysia is set to hear his fate towards the end of January 2026, his mother and lawyer confirmed on Dec 9.
Tom Felix, a 34-year-old former executive of French waste management firm Veolia, has denied all charges since the police arrested him in 2023 after they found several hundred grams of cannabis in the common area of a home he shared with his Malaysian business partner.
Prosecutors and the defence will make final oral presentations to the court on Jan 14, 2026, in the northern city of Alor Setar, where Felix is being held. The court’s verdict and sentence, should he be convicted, will be delivered in the following weeks.
“The judge will then have 15 days to render a decision, which is expected by the end of January,” Felix’s mother Sylvie Felix told AFP.
The trial adjourned on Dec 9 and will resume in mid-January, his lawyer told AFP.
“The prosecution has closed its case today after two more witnesses completed their testimony,” lawyer Collin Andrew said.
If found guilty, Felix faces the death penalty, or 104 years of cumulative imprisonment, 54 strokes of the cane and a €27,000 (S$40,800) fine, his mother previously told AFP.
Drug possession and trafficking are serious crimes in Malaysia that can still carry the death sentence
Death sentences, however, are no longer mandatory, and no executions have taken place since 2018.
“At this stage, the defence lawyers are confident that it will be a favourable decision for Tom, which should result in his acquittal,” Ms Sylvie Felix said. AFP
