Ness Wadia sentenced to 2-year jail term by Japanese court over drug possession

Wadia Group scion and co-owner of IPL team Kings XI Punjab, Ness Wadia has been sentenced to a two-year jail term by a court in Japan over alleged possession of drugs, according to a media report.

The Financial Times reported that Wadia, who was on a skiing holiday was arrested in early March at New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido after customs officials found 25g of "what appeared to be cannabis resin in his trouser pocket".

Reacting to the report, a Wadia group spokesperson said Ness Wadia is in India.

"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," the spokesperson added.

According to the report, the Sapporo District Court handed Wadia a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for five years.

He spent a period in detention before his indictment on March 20 and an undisclosed period of detention before a court hearing, it added.

Ness Wadia is director in major firms of the Wadia group, including Bombay Dyeing and Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Ltd.