Kuala Lumpur: The High Court here today granted the prosecution’s application to have the charges of drug trafficking and possessing two fake pistols faced by former political research assistant, Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, to be tried together. Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin made the ruling after Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Sabri Othman informed the court that both cases involved the same witnesses.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the judge stated, ‘The application for both cases to be tried together is granted, and the trial is scheduled for five days from April 7 to 11,’ and also set March 11 for case management. Muhammed Yusoff, 32, was present in court and represented by lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali.

On September 12 of last year, Muhammed Yusoff was charged with trafficking 305 grams of cannabis, which was discovered in the vehicle he was in, in front of the surau at the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent headquarters at 10.15 am on September 6. The charge falls under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and provides for a death penalty or life imprisonment, along with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane, if convicted.

In a separate charge on October 9 last year, Muhammed Yusoff was accused of possessing two fake pistols on the roadside near a condominium on Jalan Bukit Kiara, at 9.25 am on September 6. This charge, under Section 36 (1) of the Arms Act 1960, carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a fine of up to RM5,000, or both, if convicted.