A French national who had been facing the possibility of the death penalty in Malaysia has been acquitted on eight drug-related charges, bringing an end to nearly two and a half years of detention and uncertainty.
Thirty-four-year-old Tom Félix was freed on Tuesday after the High Court in the northern city of Alor Setar ruled that prosecutors had failed to establish that he had control, custody, or possession of the drugs at the centre of the case.
“The accused is, therefore, released and acquitted,” Judge Evawani Farisyta Mohammad said as she delivered the verdict.
Félix – who appeared in court wearing a white t-shirt and trousers with his hands cuffed – looked visibly relieved as the decision was read out.
His parents, Jean-Luc and Sylvie Félix, embraced shortly afterwards, marking an emotional end to a long legal ordeal.
Young Frenchman on trial for drug trafficking in Malaysia
Prosecution fails to prove possession
Félix and his Malaysian business partner were arrested in 2023 after police discovered 1.86 kilogrammes of cannabis in a shared area of the home where they were living.
Authorities later alleged that Félix was also found with 11.7 grammes of the drug.
Throughout the proceedings, Félix consistently denied all charges. On Tuesday, the court found that the prosecution had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had possession or control of the cannabis, a crucial requirement under Malaysian law.
The ruling effectively cleared Félix of all eight charges, which included trafficking and possession.
Observers in the courtroom said the decision appeared to lift a heavy weight from the former Veolia executive, who had spent more than two years in detention awaiting the outcome.
Félix’s parents have previously said that the prolonged incarceration had taken a visible toll on their son’s health.
He appeared to have lost a considerable amount of weight since his arrest, they said, adding to the strain on a family separated by distance and legal uncertainty.
French woman may face death penalty for drug-trafficking in Malaysia
Malaysia’s drug laws
The case once carried extremely severe potential consequences. If convicted, Félix faced either the death penalty or a cumulative sentence of up to 104 years in prison, along with 54 strokes of the cane and a fine of €27,000, according to his mother.
Malaysia maintains some of the toughest drug laws in the world, with trafficking and possession treated as serious offences, particularly when large quantities are involved.
Capital punishment remains on the statute books for certain drug crimes, although significant reforms in recent years have softened its application.
Death sentences are no longer mandatory, giving judges greater discretion, and no executions have been carried out since 2018.
Human rights groups have cautiously welcomed these changes, while continuing to call for further reform.
(with newswires)
