[tamil] M'sia: Political Pawn Nallakaruppan Released (AFP fw)

[Bala Pillai <bala@tamil.net>]

Anwar's former tennis partner freed

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 (AFP) - A friend of ousted deputy prime minister
Anwar Ibrahim left prison Tuesday after the Court of Appeal allowed
his appeal against a 42 months' jail sentence for illegal possession
of ammunition.

S. Nallakaruppan, better known as Nalla, had been in jail for a year
after originally being detained under the Internal Security Act for
the offence, which can carry the death penalty.

On February 3 High Court Judge Arifin Jaka, who is presiding over
Anwar's current sodomy trial, sentenced Nalla to 42 months in jail
after he pleaded guilty.

Nalla's counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon on Monday argued that the jail
sentence was excessive and that the prosecution did not press for a
heavy sentence.

Manjeet also said Nalla had forgotten that he had kept the 125
bullets in his house safe.

Nalla is a former public affairs director of the gaming corporation
Magnum Corporation Berhad and a tennis partner of Anwar.

Nalla was quoted by the official news agency Bernama as saying: "I
thank God, my counsel and my wife...but I won't play tennis any more
because of my health."

Justices Gopal Sri Ram, Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and Denis Ong
Jiew Fook heard the appeal.