JOHOR BARU: Bersatu information committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin was today charged in the Sessions Court here for publishing seditious material on social media on Friday.
The 45-year-old, more popularly known as Chegubard, claimed trial to the charge immediately after it was read before judge Rasidah Roslee.
He was alleged to have committed the offence — regarding the purported casino project in Forest City which has since been denied — via his Facebook account with the handle Che GuBard, at Mutiara Villa, Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, at 6.30pm on April 26.
The charge was framed under Paragraph 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948, which carries a punishment of a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a jail term of up to three years or both.
Deputy public prosecutors Datuk Masri Mohd Daud, Abdul Ghafar Ab Latif, Abdul Malik Ayob and Nadia Mohd Izhar recommended bail of RM20,000 with one surety.
"Apart from, that we ask for the accused to be barred from making any comment or statement on any social media platform until the completion of the case. This is necessary so that the case is not jeopardised."
However, Badrul Hisham's defence counsel Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali said the bail amount was excessive when taking into account the amount of the maximum fine which can be imposed on anyone found guilty of such an offence.
"My client has been charged with similar offences in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, with bail set there at RM10,000 with one surety.
"The request for my client to be barred from making any comment or statement is also too vague and appears to be more like an injunction. Such an order would be unconstitutional as, under Article 10 (of the Federal Constitution), Malaysian citizens have the freedom to discuss any matter openly as long as it is not against the law," he said.
The court then set bail of RM10,000 with one surety.
Rasidah also denied the prosecution's application for a gag order on Badrul Hisham, saying that the team had failed to produce any evidence or written affidavit proving that the accused or any other quarters would jeopardise justice during the trial.
The court then set June 24 for remention of the case for the submission of documents and for trial dates to be set.
Present in court as an observer was Pasir Gudang member of parliament Hassan Abdul Karim, who is a lawyer.
He was also there as a show of support for Badrul Hisham.
In Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Badrul Hisham was charged with two counts under the Sedition Act for making seditious remarks and defaming the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He had claimed trial to both charges as soon as they were read before Sessions judge Siti Aminah Ghazali.
