Beijing: A court in southern China sentenced an elderly former Japanese politician to life in prison Friday for smuggling drugs hidden in shoes inside a suitcase he was trying to take to his home country.
Takuma Sakuragi however, pleaded not guilty and will appeal, said his Guangzhou-based lawyer, Chen Weixiong, who argued there was insufficient evidence to prove his client was knowingly carrying the drugs.
According to Chen, a Nigerian acquaintance asked Sakuragi to bring what appeared to be a suitcase full of shoes with him back to Japan. The acquaintance claimed the suitcase was intended for a designer in Tokyo, Chen said, but in fact methamphetamine had been hidden in the heels of the shoes. Sakuragi, 76, is a former city assemblyman from central Japan’s Aichi province.
Chinese law exempts people over 75 from the death penalty, which is often imposed for drug-related offenses. Sakuragi was detained in 2013 when about 3.3 kilograms (more than six pounds) of methamphetamine was found in his luggage, the court said.
The other two sentenced were identified by their Chinese names as Ali, a citizen of Mali, and Moxi from Guinea. Death sentences with two-year reprieves are almost always commuted to life in prison.
According to Chen, the Malian defendant who was sentenced to death had been spotted on camera filling the suitcase. The other defendant’s fingerprints were found in the suitcase and methamphetamine was found at their residence, according to the Sakuragi’s lawyer.
The court said the three defendants violated Chinese customs regulations by knowingly trying to smuggle drugs out of the country and under Chinese law, Sakuragi will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 15 years.
AP