SHAH ALAM: Singer and composer Yasin Sulaiman has been sentenced to life imprisonment and 16 strokes of the rotan after being found guilty by the High Court on three drug-related charges.
High Court Judge Datuk Norsharidah Awang handed down the sentence after granting the prosecution's appeal against the Sessions Court's acquittal and discharge of the "Mimpi Laila" singer.
Yasin, whose full name is Muhammad Yasin Sulaiman, was previously placed under the care of Ulu Kinta Hospital Bahagia, Perak at the pleasure of the Sultan of Selangor.
After the sentencing, the 48-year-old was handcuffed by police and taken to Kajang Prison.
"Today is a dark day for me," Yasin said as he was escorted by the police.
Yasin was charged under Sections 6, 6B and 15 (1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act for drug possession, cultivating restricted plants and drug use.
Under the first charge, Yasin was accused of possessing 193.7 grams of cannabis at a condominium in Kota Damansara on March 24, 2022.
The second charge relates to his cultivating of 17 cannabis plants at the same location and date.
The final charge is for Yasin's use of a dangerous drug, "11-nor-delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid" at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters on the same date.
Prosecution was handled by deputy public prosecutors Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin and Ahmad Zuhaini Mahamad Amin, while lawyer Ariff Azami Hussein represented Yasin.