KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — The Attorney-General (AG) is discontinuing its prosecution of Universiti Malaya associate law professor Azmi Sharom for sedition over remarks he made on the Selangor mentri besar crisis.
Tan Sri Mohd Apandi Ali said that as AG, he was entrusted to conduct prosecutions in a fair and just manner.
“In the interests of justice, and after reviewing the testimony of all witnesses who have appeared in court, I, as Attorney-General under Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution, use my discretion to discontinue the prosecution against Azmi Sharom for the charge under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948,” Apandi said in a statement today.
The AG pointed out that the decision to discontinue prosecution against Azmi under the Sedition Act was similar to the move to drop the charge against DAP MP Theresa Kok.
Azmi was charged on September 2, 2014, under Section 4(1)(b) and alternatively under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act for remarks made in an August 14 news report titled “Take Perak crisis route for speedy end to Selangor impasse, Pakatan told”.
His remarks had prompted police officer Asst Supt Tay Chew Thwa to lodge a report against Azmi on the basis that his comments were allegedly seditious through their tendency to incite the public against the judiciary.
The trial in the Sessions Court only began in January after Azmi sought unsuccessfully to challenge the constitutionality of the Sedition Act, during which his lawyers argued that the law was invalid as it was not passed by the Malaysian Parliament.
The decision to charge Azmi for expressing his legal and academical opinion had led to heavy criticism against Putrajaya.
