Ness Wadia, son of industrialist Nusli Wadia and inheritor of one of Indias wealthiest business families, has been sentenced for drugs possession while on a skiing holiday to Japan.
Financial Times has reported that Ness Wadia, heir to the 283-year-old Wadia Group and co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab cricket team, was arrested in early March at New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
According to a brief report carried by a local Hokkaido station of state broadcaster NHK, customs officials at New Chitose were alerted to Wadia by sniffer dogs and a search revealed that he had about 25g of what appeared to be cannabis resin in his trouser pocket.
“Ness Wadia is in India. The judgement is clear. It’s a suspended sentence. Hence it won’t impact Ness Wadia in the discharge of any of his responsibilities,” ANI quoted a spokesperson for the Wadia Group as saying.
The Wadia empire has many units, which include Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burman Trading, biscuit giant Britannia Industries to budget airline GoAir and a share in IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab with the total market valuation of its listed entities standing at $13.1 billion.
A court official in Sapporo told the Financial Times that Wadia admitted to possession, arguing that the drug was for his personal use.
{{/usCountry}}A court official in Sapporo told the Financial Times that Wadia admitted to possession, arguing that the drug was for his personal use.
{{/usCountry}}Japan’s narcotics laws are strict and are currently being applied especially tightly.
Wadia spent a period in detention before his indictment on March 20 and an undisclosed period of detention before a court hearing.
The Sapporo District Court handed him a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for five years.