Kuala lumpur: The Court of Appeal has upheld a 30-year imprisonment sentence and 12 strokes of the rotan for a tiler, Teh Geok Chin, who was found guilty of trafficking 1,024.60 grams of cannabis in 2019. The three-member bench, consisting of Justices Datuk Hashim Hamzah, Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, and Datuk Azmi Ariffin, dismissed Teh's appeal against his conviction and sentence.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Justice Mohamed Zaini, in a 34-page judgment, stated that Teh, who had pleaded guilty, was restricted from appealing the conviction and could only contest the sentence under Section 305 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The justice noted that an appellate court can only overturn a conviction if there is a failure in following the prescribed procedure under Section 173 (b) of the Criminal Procedure Code. In Teh's case, the High Court was found to have adhered to these procedures.

Justice Zaini explained that the charge against Teh was communicated in Mandarin, his preferred language, and that Teh was aware of the implications of his guilty plea. On sentencing, he highlighted that Teh's appeal regarding the imprisonment and whipping could not be entertained as the sentence was the minimum required by law. The High Court had the options of imposing either the death penalty or life imprisonment with 12 strokes of the rotan.

Teh, 47, was sentenced in October 2023 for his crime committed at an apartment in Jalan Muafakat, Larkin, Johor Bahru on April 18, 2019. Initially charged alongside Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen, who was later acquitted, Teh changed his plea to guilty following the acceptance of his representation by the Attorney General's Chambers.

Justice Zaini's judgment, dated December 18, 2025, and posted on the judiciary's website, included a 17-point guideline for trial judges in cases involving guilty pleas, especially those carrying severe penalties. The guideline mandates that charges be clearly explained in a language understood by the accused, ensuring comprehension of the charge and its consequences.

The guidelines also emphasize that the record of proceedings must reflect adherence to all steps, ensuring transparency and validity of the guilty plea and conviction. Failure to follow these guidelines could compromise the plea's validity.