Chegu Bard charged with making seditious, defamatory remarks

KUALA LUMPUR: Bersatu Information Committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin or Chegu Bard was charged in the Sessions Court here today with two counts of inciting hatred and issuing defamatory remarks which will tarnish the good name of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.

However, Badrul Hisham, 45, pleaded not guilty after the two charges were read before Judge Siti Aminah Ghazali.

According to the first charge, Badrul Hisham is alleged to have made seditious remarks on his Facebook page at Taman Bukit Cheras here, at 12.15 pm, on April 6.

The charge is framed under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 and punishable under the same law which provides a maximum fine of RM5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both if convicted.

Badrul Hisham is also alleged to have made defamatory remarks in which he had reason to believe that the statements would tarnish the good name of the King.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Office of the Comptroller of Royal Household, Istana Negara, at 6 pm, on Jan 22. The charge is framed under Section 500 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment or a fine or both, upon conviction.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Syed Faisal Syed Amir offered bail of RM20,000 in one surety for each charge as the offence committed involving the King.

"The prosecution is also requesting a gag order so that both parties do not issue any comments or public statements on any social media platform until the disposal of the case.

"This is necessary to ensure that the course of the case is not interrupted, in addition to maintaining public order and avoiding provocative comments that will worsen the situation," he said.

Lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, who represented the accused, appealed for a lower bail on the grounds that his client supports his wife and four children. He also said that the RM20,000 bail offered by the prosecution is relatively high compared to the punishment provided under the Sedition Act (RM5,000).

"We also object to the gag order because it is unconstitutional as the people need to be given freedom of speech. The prosecution also does not specify the gag order," said the lawyer.

The court allowed the accused to be bailed at RM10,000 in one surety for each charge and rejected the gag order.

The court set May 27 for re-mention.

-- BERNAMA