Australian woman faces death sentence in Malaysia drugs case
NATION
Wednesday, 27 Dec 201712:12 PM MYT
Australian Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto has said she was tricked into carrying the drugs by a man she met online.PHOTO: REUTERS
SHAH ALAM: A Malaysian court is expected to hand down its verdict on Wednesday (Dec 27) in the case against a 54-year-old Australian woman accused of drug trafficking.
Media reports have said that Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto, a mother of four, could be sentenced to death if convicted.
However, Malaysian lawmakers voted on Nov 30 to remove the mandatory death penalty for drug offences, giving judges full power to decide sentences of drug offenders.
Exposto was arrested on Dec 7, 2014, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport with 1.5kg of methamphetamine.
Exposto has said she was tricked into carrying the drugs by a man she met online.
She was en route to Melbourne from Shanghai – where her lawyers said she had travelled after falling for an online romance scam by a person claiming to be a US serviceman, Agence France-Presse news agency reported.
The verdict is expected at 2pm Malaysian time, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported. – The Straits Times/ Asia News Network
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/12/27/australian-woman-faces-death-sentence-in-malaysia-drugs-case/#zbkIShSPJdG9irOF.99
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