Not required to enter defence.
The High Court today acquitted and discharged former political aide Muhammed Yusoff Rawther of drug trafficking and possessing a fake firearm without requiring him to enter his defence. Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the 32-year-old.
Yusoff was represented by lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, while Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Sabri Othman led the prosecution. The trial, which began on 7 April, saw 13 witnesses testify before the prosecution closed its case on 28 April.
On 12 September 2024, Yusoff was charged with trafficking 305 grammes of cannabis near the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent Headquarters surau at 10.15am on 6 September 2024. The charge, under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, carries a mandatory life sentence and at least 12 cane strokes if convicted.
He also faced a charge under Section 36(1) of the Arms Act 1960 for possessing two imitation pistols near a condominium on Jalan Bukit Kiara at 9.25am the same day. This offence carries a maximum one-year jail term, a RM5,000 fine, or both.
The Magistrates’ Court had allowed the drug case to be transferred to the High Court on 12 November 2024. Yusoff, a former research assistant to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was cleared of all charges.