KUALA LUMPUR: An unemployed man was charged at the sessions court here with making a potentially alarming false statement on his social media account regarding the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.
Amir Azhar Hamiruddin, 33, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him before Judge Zamri Bakar today.
He is accused of knowingly spreading a false statement using his Facebook account ‘Amir Izhar’ to cause public alarm at about 12.38pm on Dec 16, 2016.
The comments were detected by a member of the public at Hotel Ancasa, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock on Dec 18, 2016.
The offence falls under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which is punishable under Section 233(3) of the same Act, which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a jail sentence of up to a year, or both; and with a possible additional fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence continues to be committed post-conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Noor Jazilah Mohd Yushaa prosecuted, while the accused was unrepresented.
The court set RM5,000 bail with one surety and fixed June 26 for mention.