Singer also handed 16 cane strokes over three drug offences
SHAH ALAM: Singer and composer Muhammad Yasin Sulaiman will serve life imprisonment and 16 strokes of the cane after he was convicted of three drug offences by the High Court here.
Justice Norsharidah Awang made the ruling after allowing the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of the 49-year-old singer by the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court on Nov 29 last year.
The singer’s lawyer said the defence would be filing an appeal today.
For the charge of possession of cannabis-type drugs weighing 193.7g, the Mimpi Laila singer was sentenced to eight years’ jail and 10 strokes of the cane.
For the charge of cultivating 17 cannabis plants in plastic pots at his residence, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and six strokes of the cane; and for the charge of self-administration of a dangerous drug, the singer was sentenced to 10 months’ jail.
The court also ordered Muhammad Yasin to serve the jail sentences concurrently from the date of his arrest on March 24, 2022.
On Nov 29, 2023, Petaling Jaya Sessions Court judge Faiz Dziyauddin acquitted the singer of the three drug charges and ordered him to be placed at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Perak, at the pleasure of the Sultan of Selangor.
Yesterday, the High Court judge in her judgment said the Sessions Court judge had erred in making that decision.
Put away: Yasin was handed the sentence by the Shah Alam High Court. — Bernama
She said the question that arose was whether the Sessions Court could make a decision by relying only on the testimony of defence witness Dr Ian Lloyd Anthony, a forensic psychiatry consultant from Hospital Bahagia.
Justice Norsharidah said the witness testified that Muhammad Yasin had an unsound mental state, but according to the statements from prosecution witnesses, the singer was aware of his actions and intentionally committed the offences.
She said the testimony of another prosecution witness, plant biotechnology expert Prof Dr S. Sreeramanan, also confirmed that the Muhammad Yasin had knowledge of cannabis cultivation.
“The cannabis cultivation done also proved that he was not in a state of insanity.
“Therefore, the court finds him guilty of the three amended charges and allows the prosecution’s appeal against the Sessions Court’s decision,” she said.
Deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin and Ahmad Zuhaini Mahamad Amin appeared for the prosecution, while Muhammad Yasin was represented by Ariff Azami Hussein.
For the first amended charge, Muhammad Yasin was charged with having cannabis-type drugs weighing 193.7g at a condominium unit at Damansara Indah Resort Homes in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, at 5.30pm on March 24, 2022.
The charge, framed under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act and punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same Act, carries a penalty of life imprisonment or not less than five years, and shall also be liable to whipping of not less than 10 strokes.
For the second charge, Muhammad Yasin was charged with cultivating 17 plants, identified as cannabis, in plastic pots at the same place and time and on the same date.
For the third charge, the singer was charged with self-administration of the drug “11-nor-delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid” at the Narcotics Office of the Petaling Jaya police district headquarters at 11.05pm, also on March 24, 2022.
