Malaysian singer Yasin Sulaiman sentenced to life imprisonment and 16 strokes for drug charges

On Thursday (Aug 22), the Shah Alam High Court sentenced Malaysian singer-composer Yasin Sulaiman, 48, to life in prison and 16 strokes of the cane after finding him guilty of three drug offences from two years ago.
Yasin’s three charges include self-administering the drug 11-nor-delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid, possessing 193.7g of cannabis at the time of his arrest in March 2022 and cultivating 17 cannabis plants in his home.
Yasin was previously acquitted of these charges on Nov 29, 2023 by a lower court which declared that the Mimpi Laila singer was “not mentally sound” and “exhibited manic symptoms that eroded his cognitive abilities”.
However, High Court judge Norsharidah Awang allowed the prosecution’s appeal to overturn Yasin’s acquittal. Following the sentencing, Yasin was handcuffed by the police and taken to Kajang Prison in Selangor, Malaysia.
“It’s a dark day for me,” he was quoted as saying as he was led away by police.