TOKYO – Ness Wadia, the great-grandson of Pakistan’s founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, returned to India after he was detained in Japan for possession of drugs.
According to Financial Times, Ness Wadia, the son of industrialist Nusli Wadia, was caught in New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido with 25 grams of cannabis resin earlier in March this year; he was on a skiing holiday to the country.
“Mr 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,” the Financial Times claimed on Tuesday.
A court official in Sapporo told the Financial Times that Wadia admitted to possession, contending that the drug was for his personal use.
However, in a statement, Wadia Group stated that the development will not impact Ness in carrying out his responsibilities.
“The judgement is clear. It is a suspended sentence. Hence it will not impact Ness Wadia in the discharge of any of his responsibilities and he will continue to play the role that he has done hitherto, both within the Group and outside,” Wadia Group spokesperson said in a statement.
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.
