KUALA LUMPUR: A 46-year-old housewife was fined RM12,000 in default six months' jail for spreading fake news in the form of a video on the Covid-19 vaccine.
Sessions Court Judge M. M. Edwin Paramjothy sentenced Tengku Noor Azlin Wa Kembang Tengku Azizan after she pleaded guilty to the offence.
Paramjothy said the video posted by the accused could trigger public distress about the vaccine to curb the pandemic.
"This could hinder the government's effort to curb the spread of Covid-19 in this country," he said.
The mother of five was accused of using her own Facebook account with the intention of causing concern to the public at 11.44pm on May 25 this year.
The accused posted the fake news via a video posting titled – 'Who registered for Vaccine? This man reveals the danger of Covid-19 vaccine'.
The status was read on June 3 at about 8.30am at the Health Ministry Headquarters in Putrajaya.
She was charged under Section 4(1) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No 2) Ordinance 2021 which carries a maximum RM100,000 fine or three years imprisonment or both.
The accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a minimum sentence stating that she was remorseful of her action.
"I posted the video as I wanted my friends to see and give their comments about it," she said.
However, deputy public prosecutor Datin Kalmizah Salleh pressed for a deterrent sentence.