PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim former aide Yusoff Rawther has been charged in the magistrates’ court today with trafficking 305g of cannabis. The charge framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, was read to Yusoff before magistrate M Arunjothi. Yusoff acknowledged the charge, but no plea was recorded.
The alleged offence took place at 10.15am on Sept 6 in a car park outside the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters. If convicted, Yusoff faces severe penalties under the stringent provisions of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Yusoff was represented by lawyer Rafique Rashid Ali, while deputy public prosecutor Sabri Othman led the prosecution. The court has set Nov 12 for re-mention of the case, pending the receipt of reports from the chemistry department.
At a press conference following the court proceedings, Rafique announced that he would be applying for bail for Yusoff, citing concerns over his client’s safety. He further revealed that Yusoff and his family had lodged two police reports naming individuals with alleged personal vendettas against him.
We believe Yusoff is being persecuted. We will file (an application for bail) as soon as possible in the High Court,
said Rafique, noting that Yusoff would be detained at the Sungai Buloh prison until then.
Rafique also mentioned that police are still investigating the ownership of two pistols Yusoff is accused of possessing.
Simultaneously, the former research assistant continues to pursue a civil action in the Kuala Lumpur High Court over allegations that Anwar sexually assaulted him in October 2018 at the party leader’s office.
Yusoff first brought the allegations to public attention on Dec 4, 2019, during a press conference where he disclosed the contents of his statutory declaration detailing the claims. Less than two weeks later, on Dec 17, he underwent a polygraph test at Bukit Aman as part of a police investigation into his accusations.
However, on Jan 14, 2020, the Attorney-General’s Chambers announced that there was insufficient evidence to press criminal charges against Anwar. Despite this, Yusoff filed a civil lawsuit a year later to continue pursuing his claims.
In a development on May 7 this year, the civil court rejected Yusoff’s request to compel the police to disclose the polygraph test results which he had sought to use as evidence to strengthen his case. – Sept 12, 2024
Main photo credit: Kosmo Digital
