KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — A former religious teacher and an herbs entrepreneur were each fined RM2,000 by the Sessions Court here today for falsely communicating on Facebook that a container containing pork mixed with mutton was brought into the country from Spain, last year.
Judge Zaman Mohd Noor meted out the punishment to Roslan Ahmad, 54, and Maizarah Abu Bakar, 54, after both accused, who were separately charged, pleaded guilty.
The court ordered the duo to be jailed a month each if they defaulted on the fine.
Roslan and Maizarah had used Facebook accounts with the profiles “Roslan Ahmad” and “Maizarah Abu Bakar” to knowingly spreading the false communication to cause public alarm at 11.58pm and 3.18pm on July 19, 2017.
Their comments were detected by a member of the public at Starbucks Aeon Alpha Angle, Bandar Baru Wangsa Maju here at 10am on August 1, 2017. He lodged a complaint.
The Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Service (MAQIS) later established that it was fake news.
They were charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 punishable under Section 233(3) of the same act which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000 or jail up to a year or both and can also be additionally fined RM1,000 for each day the offence continued to be committed post- conviction.
In mitigation, Roslan, who was unrepresented, pleaded for the minimum sentence saying that he had become disabled due to a road accident two months ago and no longer had permanent income besides having to support four children.
Maizarah, who was also unrepresented and is a mother of seven, was in tears and pleaded for leniency saying that she did not know that the news she shared was fake and promised that she would be extra careful in future.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission prosecuting officer Norhani Mohd Adzhar had earlier urged the court to set the fine to be at least RM5,000 citing that issue was very sensitive to Muslims.
The matter went viral on social media after MAQIS confiscated four containers containing meat imported from Spain in a raid at the Tanjung Pelapas Port, Johor Baru last July. — Bernama
