New Delhi: Ness Wadia, heir to one of the biggest business families in India, has been sentenced for drug possession in Japan, The Financial Times reported. According to the publication, the Sapporo District Court handed him a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for five years.
The Wadia Group scion was arrested while on a ski trip early in March when sniffer dogs caught him with 25 grams of cannabis resin in his pocket. He was at the New Chitose Airport on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, when customs officials were alerted, the report said.
A court official in Sapporo told the news outlet that Wadia confirmed the drugs were for personal use. He was detained for an undisclosed period of time before his indictment on 20 March and his court hearing, the report added.
The 48-year-old, who is the co-owner of IPL team Kings XI Punjab with former girlfriend Preity Zinta, is heir to the 283-year-old Wadia Group. His father, Nusli Wadia, is one of the country’s richest tycoons, with a net worth of $7 billion, according to The Financial Times.
In 2014, Ness was accused of molestation and intimidation by Zinta. The charges were later dismissed by the Bombay High Court.
At present, Wadia has returned to India and has declined to comment, the report stated.