Mariam Mokhtar
Published: Jun 20, 2025 12:40 PM
Updated: 2:44 PM
COMMENT | From the time Yusoff Rawther, the former research assistant to Anwar Ibrahim, walked out of his condominium to get to his parked car, his life was turned upside down, and inside out.
We are not referring to the “Yusoff Rawther vs Anwar Ibrahim” lawsuit, as that has yet to take place, if it does happen.
Our interest is in Yusoff’s acquittal for possession of imitation firearms and drug trafficking.
What happened to him in the nine months and 10 days that he was placed in remand should concern us.
Why? The simple reason is that what happened to him could so easily happen to you or your loved ones. It is our responsibility to demand answers and demand justice.
Our focus should be on police incompetence and, secondly, the reason for the entrapment and who is behind it. Is abuse of power also a factor to be considered?
Fateful day
It was the morning of Sept 6, 2024, when Yusoff was pounced upon by police officers who were lying in wait for him. He had great difficulty entering his car, but when access was finally gained, worse was to follow.
He may have been puzzled about the failure of his key fob to open the car, but he would have been completely overwhelmed when told about the firearms in his car.
Published: Jun 20, 2025 12:40 PM
Updated: 2:44 PM
COMMENT | From the time Yusoff Rawther, the former research assistant to Anwar Ibrahim, walked out of his condominium to get to his parked car, his life was turned upside down, and inside out.
We are not referring to the “Yusoff Rawther vs Anwar Ibrahim” lawsuit, as that has yet to take place, if it does happen.
Our interest is in Yusoff’s acquittal for possession of imitation firearms and drug trafficking.
What happened to him in the nine months and 10 days that he was placed in remand should concern us.
Why? The simple reason is that what happened to him could so easily happen to you or your loved ones. It is our responsibility to demand answers and demand justice.
Our focus should be on police incompetence and, secondly, the reason for the entrapment and who is behind it. Is abuse of power also a factor to be considered?
Fateful day
It was the morning of Sept 6, 2024, when Yusoff was pounced upon by police officers who were lying in wait for him. He had great difficulty entering his car, but when access was finally gained, worse was to follow.
He may have been puzzled about the failure of his key fob to open the car, but he would have been completely overwhelmed when told about the firearms in his car.
Despite his denials, Yusoff was promptly arrested for possessing two fake firearms. He was bundled into a police car to be taken to the police station, while his own car was driven there by a police officer.
The stash of drugs was later found under the back seat of the car.
The time taken from when Yusoff exited his condominium to the time of his arrest was a mere 15 minutes. From then on, his life was a living hell.
Series of unfortunate events
First was the charge of possessing firearms.
Second, there was the drug charge. Less than an hour after his arrest, a further examination of Yusoff's car at the Kuala Lumpur contingent police headquarters revealed a stash of drugs found by Inspector Wan Muhammad Wan Ali, 37, from the Intelligence Division.
He said that a compressed lump weighing 305g, which was later examined to be cannabis, had been discovered under the rear passenger seat.
Third was the denial of bail because of the drug trafficking charge.
Fourth was to ensure Yusoff’s safety. The lawyer representing Yusoff was worried for his safety whilst on remand, and hence the decision was made to isolate Yusoff and place him in the cells for those facing the death penalty, for the express reason of keeping him out of danger.
Yusoff was acquitted of possessing firearms and trafficking in drugs on June 12, but our interest in his acquittal is only just beginning.
The police bungled the investigations. The manner in which Wan Muhammad and his men conducted the examination was amateurish. They immediately jumped into action after the anonymous tip-off.
Do all tip-offs result in such a speedy response, without the requisite checks?
Embarrassing times
The key fob failure was another clue, but the physical examination of Yusoff’s car with lawyers and judges present was highly embarrassing. The police claimed that Yusoff had opened the car with his key by inserting it into the key hole on the front passenger side.
However, as the lawyers and judges pointed out, there was no keyhole on the front passenger side of Yusoff’s car. How did the police miss this detail? They earlier claimed Yusoff had unlocked the car door, so the police had lied.
The police seemed oblivious to the fact that anyone could have gained entry to Yusoff’s car as it was parked by the roadside and not in the relatively secure condominium parking area.
Yusoff’s key fob had failed to unlock his car, but even this was insufficient to raise ample suspicion for the police.
When entry to the car was finally made, the police immediately pounced on the bag containing the firearms. However, they failed to conduct a full search of the car, as the drugs were only found at the police station.
Aminulrasyid Amzah
This reminds us of the teenager Aminulrasyid Amzah, who was gunned down by the police for going on a joy ride in his sister’s car. To justify shooting him down, the police claimed to have found machetes in the car boot when they searched.
More questions
Why were the steering wheel, the interior and exterior of Yusoff’s car or the bag containing the firearms, and the firearms themselves not immediately dusted for fingerprints? The police deemed it “unnecessary”.
Instead of Yusoff’s car being transported on the back of a lorry to the police station, to preserve the crime scene, another police officer drove it there.
He would have compromised the integrity of any evidence available. Gathering vital forensics appears unimportant in solving crime.
Yusoff was handcuffed and driven to the police station, while another police officer drove Yusoff’s car. Anyone who is as concerned about being set up as Yusoff was would have wondered if the drugs had been a later “addition” under the car’s back seat.
The firearms tactic and the drugs stash failed to convict Yusoff. Now, it appears that he has been tagged as an “agent of Mossad” to further discredit him.
So, who has the motive to set Yusoff up? A rival at work? A disaffected lover? Someone who had crossed swords with Yusoff in the past?
More questions
Why were the steering wheel, the interior and exterior of Yusoff’s car or the bag containing the firearms, and the firearms themselves not immediately dusted for fingerprints? The police deemed it “unnecessary”.
Instead of Yusoff’s car being transported on the back of a lorry to the police station, to preserve the crime scene, another police officer drove it there.
He would have compromised the integrity of any evidence available. Gathering vital forensics appears unimportant in solving crime.
Yusoff was handcuffed and driven to the police station, while another police officer drove Yusoff’s car. Anyone who is as concerned about being set up as Yusoff was would have wondered if the drugs had been a later “addition” under the car’s back seat.
The firearms tactic and the drugs stash failed to convict Yusoff. Now, it appears that he has been tagged as an “agent of Mossad” to further discredit him.
So, who has the motive to set Yusoff up? A rival at work? A disaffected lover? Someone who had crossed swords with Yusoff in the past?
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, X.
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