Court upholds ruling quashing MMEA officer’s dismissal over drug case

The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court decision that quashed the dismissal of a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officer, Firuz Alzarhari Abu Bakar, who was arrested for drug-related offenses. The three-member bench, consisting of Justices Choo Kah Sing, Ismail Brahim, and Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin, found that the agency's disciplinary board had relied on inaccurate facts when concluding that Firuz was involved in a drug-trafficking offense.

The court noted that the disciplinary board had considered irrelevant matters when deciding to terminate Firuz's service in December 2023. Firuz, a senior petty officer with MMEA, was arrested at a petrol kiosk near KLIA in March 2020 and charged with possessing cannabis and self-administering a dangerous drug. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to enter a three-year bond of good behavior under Section 173A of the Criminal Procedure Code, with a RM4,000 bond and one surety.

Firuz was served with a notice of suspension and dismissed from service without a hearing or opportunity to explain his circumstances. The Court of Appeal ordered the government to pay Firuz RM30,000 in costs.