Former Anwar aide acquitted of drug and firearms charges, claims persecution

Muhammed Yusoff Rawther has earlier filed a civil suit against the Malaysian prime minister for sexual harassment

A former aide who accused Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of sexual misconduct has claimed he is a victim of political persecution, after a court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday acquitted him of drug and firearms charges.

Muhammed Yusoff Rawther, who made headlines in 2019 with allegations against the then-opposition leader, was charged last year with possession of over 300g of cannabis and two imitation firearms. The items were found in his car outside a police station in September 2024.

Both charges carry the death penalty and had kept him in jail for the past nine months.

Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin of the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that Yusoff had possession and control over the illegal substances and imitation weapons, despite them being found in his vehicle.

Speaking to reporters after his release, Yusoff vowed to keep fighting to clear his name.

“I was wronged, persecuted and mistreated in many ways,” he said.

His release was greeted with chants of “God is great” and “long live Yusoff” by some 100 supporters who gathered at the courthouse lobby.

The unusual circumstances of the case have led to claims of Anwar’s involvement and a conspiracy to smear Yusof’s reputation and silence him.

Yusoff filed a civil suit agains Anwar in 2021, after the public prosecutor declined to pursue criminal charges of sexual assault against his former boss.

The opposition has rallied behind Yusoff with a flurry of statements in his defence after his acquittal.

Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz likened the case to “a plot in a mafia movie” and questioned how such a serious case had reached trial without solid evidence.

“More shockingly, Yusoff was the person who made a sworn statement in 2019 naming himself as a victim of sexual assault by [Anwar],” Tun Faisal said. “His arrest and indictment just a few years after the exposé created the perception that there is abuse of power and political revenge.”

Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin said he believed there was a conspiracy to persecute Yusoff and urged the public to demand accountability from the “mastermind” behind the case.

We do not want the history of abuse of power to be repeatedHamzah Zainudin, opposition leader

“We do not want the history of abuse of power to be repeated,” he said.

Islamist party PAS said the matter raised broader concerns about the state of Malaysia’s institutions.

“The public has the right to know if there really exists a conspiracy that almost took the life of a young man just to protect the political interests of someone,” said Afnan Hamimi, chief of the party’s youth wing.

Anwar’s civil trial had been scheduled to begin next Monday but was vacated to allow him to argue that he is entitled to immunity from civil suits while serving as prime minister.

His first attempt at establishing immunity was thrown out by the Kuala Lumpur high court on June 4, with the court saying that Anwar was “seeking to create new immunity where none exists constitutionally”.