A Spanish man was sentenced to 10 years and fined ¥5 million in a lay judge trial Friday for smuggling illegal stimulants into Japan in May. He had pleaded innocent.
Orquin Mompo Fernando, 38, was the second defendant to claim innocence in a lay judge trial since the system was introduced in Japan in May. The first lay judge trial was held in August. No one has been acquitted so far, although lay judges have handed down suspended sentences. In two recent high-profile stimulants-use trials, not involving lay judges, the accused received suspended terms.
The Chiba District Court ruled that Fernando smuggled some 1.2 kg of illegal stimulants into Narita International Airport on May 4 for the purpose of making money.
In handing down the sentence, presiding Judge Tsutomu Tochigi said the defendant's testimony was "not trustworthy" and thus the sentence was heavier than usual, reflecting the judiciary's "determination to crack down on the smuggling of stimulants."