Sentencing in Japan of Ness Wadia 'won't impact' his business ops: Wadia Group

The arrest of Ness Wadia, heir to the 283-year-old Wadia group in early March and subsequent sentencing in a Japanese court over possession of drugs will have no impact on "the discharge of any of his business-related responsibilities", the Wadia Group said on Tuesday.

Wadia, son of industrialist Nusli Wadia and co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab cricket team, was arrested in early March at the New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido according to a report in a London based newspaper.

"Ness Wadia is in India. The judgment 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.

"Customs officials at New Chitose were alerted to Mr Wadia by sniffer dogs and a search revealed that he had about 25g of what appeared to be cannabis resin in his trouser pocket," Financial Times reported quoting Japanese broadcaster NHK.

The Wadia group is the parent company of various brands like Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burman Trading, Britannia Industries, budget airline GoAir and is the co-owner of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.

Following the arrest in Japan, Wadia is reported to have spent a period in detention before being indicted on March 20. The Sapporo District Court handed him a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for five years.