Six charged for insulting sultan, one fined RM10,000

Source: Malaysiakini
Mar 13, 09 12:41pm

The Attorney General today preferred charges against six men in a nationwide swoop against those who had allegedly insulted the Sultan of Perak in the Internet over the ruler's role in the ongoing political crisis in the state.

Simultaneous charges were tabled in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Kota Kinabalu and Butterworth this morning.


They were all charged under Section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998 for "unwise use of network or network services for making comments, demands, suggestions or communication which are vulgar, false, threatening or disturbing".


This is the first time anyone had been charged under this Act, which granted a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of one year, or both for those found guilty.


In Kuala Lumpur, a lab assistant pleaded guilty at the magistrate's court of insulting Sultan Azlan Shah in the Perak sultan's website and was fined RM10,000.At press time Azrin Mohd Zain, 33, had not paid the fine. Failure to pay the fine would result in him being jailed for five months. He was not represented by any lawyer.


Also in the magistrate's court in Kuala Lumpur was Muslim Ahmad, charged for the same offence under the same Act.Muslim however claimed trial and has been released on a RM3,000 bail. His case will be mentioned April 8.Hearing dates fixed


And in Petaling Jaya, 36-year-old land surveyor Nor Hisham Osman was charged under the same Act for similarly insulting the sultan on Internet on Feb 11.Nor Hisham claimed trial and has been released in a RM4,000 bail. His case will be mentioned on April 14.


Similarly, a handphone dealer in Kota Kinabalu was also charged this morning under the Act for insulting the sultan.Rutinin Suhaimin, 35, from Kundasang, Ranau claimed trial to the offence and his case will be heard on May 25 and 26 before magistrate Ummu Kalthom Abdul Samad.Rutinin has also been released on bail.


In Butterworth, Chan Hon Keong and Khoo Hui Shuang were charged under the Act at the Sessions Court for posting offensive remarks against the sultan.The alleged insults were related to the present political crisis in Perak, which saw the Pakatan Rakyat-led government being ousted by Barisan Nasional following the defection of three assemblypersons.


The crisis culminated in Sultan Azlan Shah asking the ousted Pakatan Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin to step down.