High Court Overturns Acquittal, Singer Yasin Sulaiman Sentenced To Life Imprisonment
He faced three drug-related charges, which had been under trial for the past two years.
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The Shah Alam High Court found musician and composer Muhammad Yasin Sulaiman, 48, guilty of three narcotics related offences for which he had been on trial for the past two years.
High Court Judge Datuk Norsharidah Awang sentenced Yasin to life imprisonment and 16 lashes, overturning a previous decision by Petaling Jaya Sessions Court Judge Faiz Dziyauddin, who had acquitted and released him.
Yasin was charged with possession of 193.7 grams of cannabis at a condominium in Kota Damansara on 24 March 2022. He was charged under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same act, which provides for a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum of 10 lashes if convicted.
For the second charge, Yasin, the “Mimpi Laila” singer was accused of cultivating 17 cannabis plants in plastic pots filled with soil, from which the drug was directly or indirectly obtained, at the same location, time, and date.
This charge falls under Section 6B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, punishable under Section 6B(3) of the same act which provides for a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a minimum of 6 lashes if convicted.
Yasin was also charged with self-administering a dangerous drug, specifically 11-nor-delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid, at the Narcotics Office of the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters (IPD) at 11.05pm on the same date.
This offence falls under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and is punishable under Section 15(1) of the same act, which carries a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or a maximum of two years in prison if convicted.
Following the sentencing, Yasin, who had previously been placed at the Ulu Kinta Psychiatric Hospital in Perak, was handcuffed by police and immediately transferred to the Kajang Prison.
“Today is a dark day for me,” Yasin said as he was taken away by police, according to a report by Berita Harian.
The prosecution was led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin and Ahmad Zuhaini Mahamad Amin, while Yasin was represented by lawyer Ariff Azami Hussein.
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