Diver Pleads Not Guilty To 11 Charges Over Obscene Posts On Nurul Izzah

SEPANG, June 20 (Bernama) -- A diver and single father pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to 11 charges of making indecent and excessively obscene comments targeting Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of the Prime Minister, on Facebook earlier this year.

The accused, Ruslan Mat Ali, 48, entered the plea after the charges were read before Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman.

He is accused of knowingly making and initiating the transmission of indecent and excessively obscene comments with the intent to annoy others, on the Facebook account under his name, Ruslan Mat Ali, allegedly committed between January 21 and February 25.

He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides for a fine not exceeding RM50,000, or imprisonment for up to one year, or both, upon conviction.

According to the first charge, the indecent post was accessed on February 4 at approximately 7.00 am at MCMC Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya.

For the second to eleventh charges, the posts were accessed on February 26, between 1.51 pm and 4.30 pm, at the MCMC Centre of Excellence, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) deputy public prosecutor Fadhli Ab Wahab proposed that bail be set at RM15,000 with one surety.

However, the accused, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lower amount, citing the absence of a fixed income and the responsibility of supporting his three children.

Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman set bail at RM10,000, with case mention fixed for July 18.

The accused failed to post bail and has been remanded until the next mention date.

-- BERNAMA