KUALA LUMPUR: Nasyid singer and composer Muhammad Yasin Sulaiman has been ordered to enter his defence on all three drug abuse charges.
Sessions Court Judge Faiz Dziyauddin said the prosecution had successfully adduced credible evidence proving each essential ingredient of the offences.
He said a prima facie case had therefore been made out against the accused and ordered him to enter his defence.
Muhammad Yasin has been given three options - give his sworn evidence from the witness box, give an unsworn statement from the dock where he cannot be cross-examined or choose to remain silent, in which case the court must proceed to convict him.
The accused chose to remain silent.
The proceeding then continued with Muhammad Yasin's counsel Ariff Azami Hussein calling the first defence witness a psychiatrist Dr. Ian Lloyd Anthony to testify.
Deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin prosecuted.
On Sept 15, the prosecution closed its case after calling seven witnesses in the trial which began on Aug 28.
The Mimpi Laila 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 district police headquarters at 11.05 pm on March 24 last year.
The charge framed 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 5.30 pm on the same date.
The drug possession charge framed under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act and punishable under Section 39A(2) of the same Act 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 framed under Section 6B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act and punishable under Section 6B(3) of the same Act, which provides for life imprisonment and whipping of not less than six strokes, upon conviction.