PUTRAJAYA, Feb 25 — Johari Ismail, 67, has been sentenced to six months in prison after failing to pay a RM30,000 fine for posting false content about the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the 268th Conference of Rulers on Facebook.
In a statement, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said that he will serve his sentence at Kajang Prison, starting today.
The offence took place on February 8, when Johari shared a post falsely claiming that the Conference of Rulers had voted to take action against the government over its handling of an additional document related to former premier Najib Razak’s case.
Johari, charged under Section 233 (1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, was apprehended last night, with the court issuing an arrest warrant after he failed to attend proceedings.
At the Sepang Sessions Court, he appeared without legal representation while the prosecution was led by MCMC Deputy Public Prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin.
Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman advised Johari, a father of four, to consider the consequences of his actions, noting that such posts damage both the government's reputation and the Royal Institution.
The commission’s investigation team identified the false post on February 9 at 12.59pm at the MCMC Tower 1 in Cyberjaya.
— Bernama
