KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — Two men pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court here today to insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on their Facebook accounts.
Ooi Wei Siong and Nurhaizad Azhar both aged 38, made the pleas after the charges were read to them separately by a court interpreter before Judge M.M. Edwin Paramjothy.
Ooi, who is unemployed, was accused of using a Facebook account under the name of "SAM OOI" to initiate and make the transmission of offensive communications with intent to annoy others at 7.39am on March 1.
The remarks were later read via a Facebook account "Hanya di Kelate" at the Cyber Crime and Multimedia Investigation Division, Commercial Crime Investigation Department of the Bukit Aman police headquarters on the 27th floor, Menara KPJ, here at 8.20 am the next day (March 2).
Nurhaizad, an online trader was charged with committing the same offence on a Facebook account "Haizad Azhar" and the statement was later read at the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department here at 11.20am on March 1.
The charges were framed under Section 233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and could be sentenced under Section 233(3) of the same act which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, or jail up to one year, or both upon conviction.
The court then allowed RM6,000 bail with one surety for each of the accused and fixed March 17 for Ooi’s sentencing and March 23 for Nurhaizad’s.
The duo is also prohibited from making comments about their cases on social media.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Annur Atiqah Abd Hadi, asked the court to put them behind bars to serve as a lesson as their actions had sparked anger among the public.
Ooi, represented by lawyer Ahmad Ridza Mohd Noh, told the court that he wished to apologise to the public over his action.
Nurhaizad, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency and said that he wanted to apologise to His Majesty and all Malaysians for his remark.
Meanwhile, in the same court, a housewife pleaded not guilty to a charge of insulting Prophet Muhammad via her Facebook account last month.
Fadilah Hamid, 43, was charged with committing the offence via a Facebook account under the name of "Fadhilah Abdulhamid" at Seri Ceria 1 Apartment, Jalan Jalil Indah, Pinggiran Bukit Jalil, Cheras here at about 9.14 am on Feb 19.
The court allowed the woman bail of RM6,000 with one surety and set April 14 for mention.
The accused was represented by lawyer Nur Sabrina Nasruddin. — Bernama
