Fate of Muhammad Yasin’s drug case to be determined tomorrow

KUALA LUMPUR: The decision on whether singer and composer Muhammad Yasin Sulaiman will be called to enter his defence or be acquitted of the drug charges he faces will be known on Tuesday (Oct 3).

Judge Faiz Dziyauddin is scheduled to deliver the decision at the end of the prosecution case at 2pm, at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.

Muhammad Yasin, 48, would be called to enter his defence if the court’s decision favours the prosecution. Otherwise, the celebrity would be freed.

On Sept 15, the prosecution closed its case after calling seven witnesses in the trial, which began on Aug 28.

The witnesses included chemist Dr J. Saravanan Kumar; investigating officer Inspector Muhammad Amirul Mukmin Aziz; science officer (life chemistry) at the Pathology Department of Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang, Rusli Ibrahim; plant biotechnology expert Prof Dr S. Sreeramanan and the Intelligence, Operations and Detention Officer, Narcotics Crime Investigation Division of Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters (IPD) Inspector Darwis Aripin.

Deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin and Ahmad Zuhaini Mahamad Amin prosecuted, while lawyer Ariff Azami Hussein represented Muhammad Yasin.

Muhammad Yasin was charged with self-administration of the drug “11-nor-delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol-9- carboxylic acid” at the Narcotics Office of the Petaling Jaya District Headquarters at 11.05pm on March 24 last year.

The charge, under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 15(1) of the same Act, carries a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or a maximum jail term of two years if convicted.

He was also charged with possessing cannabis-type drugs weighing 193.7g and cultivating 17 cannabis plants in plastic pots at his residence at Persiaran Surian Damansara Indah Resort Homes, PJU 3, Kota Damansara here at 5.30pm on the same date.

Under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act and punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same Act, the drug possession charge carries life imprisonment or not less than five years with no less than 10 strokes of the cane if convicted.

On cannabis cultivation, the charge is under Section 6B(1)(a) of the DDA and punishable under Section 6B(3) of the same Act, which provides for life imprisonment and whipping of not less than six strokes of the cane upon conviction.- BK