PETALING JAYA – Nasyid singer-songwriter Muhammad Yasin Sulaiman is a free man after the sessions court here acquitted him on all drug-related charges.
Judge Faiz Dziyauddin acquitted and discharged the 48-year-old singer, despite finding Yasin had committed the offences.
“However, the accused (Yasin) was not in the right mental state during the time of the offence. Even though he was aware of the nature of his actions, the manic symptoms he experienced at the time had caused severe cognitive decline so he was unable to know that his actions were wrong and in violation of the law.
“So, according Section 348(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, the court decided to put the accused under the care of Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Tanjung Rambutan in Perak for as long as the Sultan of Selangor allowed, as allocated under Section 348(2) of the code.”
Lawyer Ariff Azami Hussein appeared for Yasin, while the prosecution was represented by Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharuddin in today’s proceedings.
Yasin was charged on March 24, last year, with one count of possessing 193.7g of cannabis, and one count of planting 17 cannabis plants in plastic pots at his house in Kota Damansara.
The first charge is under Section 39A(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and carries a penalty of five years to life imprisonment, and a maximum of 20 strokes of the rotan.
The second charge of cultivating cannabis is under Section 6B(1)(a) of the same act, which provides life imprisonment and at least six strokes of rotan, upon conviction.
The charge of ingesting cannabis is under Section 15(1)(a) and punishable under Section 15(1) of the same act, which carries a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or maximum two-year jail term if convicted.
The singer had a fourth charge of trafficking 214g of cannabis at his house and could have faced the death penalty, but he was given a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) in July of last year. – November 29, 2023