Dikir barat singer Eda Ezrin walks free after Thai court clears drug charges
The Narathiwat prison court freed the 30-year-old singer along with her husband and four others at about 11am local time, Berita Harian reported.
They were released after Thai prosecutors failed to produce witnesses or evidence to support their appeal against an earlier acquittal.
The six were originally arrested by Sungai Golok police on November 1 last year during a raid at a hotel, where they were accused of possessing 6,059 Yaba pills.
On March 6, the Narathiwat Provincial Court acquitted Eda, her husband Mohd Affendi Ahmad, 35, and their friends Eridieka Mohd Noor, 33, Mohamad Alif Deraman, 33, Nur Aida Mamat, 33, and Zuhaira Nasrin, 26, after hearings held in February.
Despite the acquittal, prosecutors filed five successive appeals to delay the release — the first from March 6 to April 6, followed by four more until August 6.
When the prosecution failed to substantiate their case during the extended appeal period, the court dismissed the case and ordered their release.
Eda's father, Wan Ismail Wan Yusuf, 52, said the family was grateful and would hold a thanksgiving prayer and feast at a nearby mosque tomorrow night to celebrate her freedom.
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