KUALA LUMPUR – Fahmi Reza has been given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) on a charge over a caricature the intrepid graphic designer allegedly uploaded on Twitter that resembled the then health minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
Kuala Lumpur Sessions (Cyber) Court judge Nor Hasniah Ab Razak made the ruling after Fahmi’s lawyers filed a preliminary objection to the case last week.
Speaking to The Vibes, Fahmi quoted Hasniah as saying the charges by the prosecution were flawed and therefore, he was granted a DNAA.
“The judge agreed to our preliminary objection. This means the case is dropped and the bail money is returned,” he said when met by The Vibes outside the high court this morning.
“They can still choose to charge me. If the prosecution still chooses to charge me, it is still a victory for me (that the judge has given me a DNAA).
What was activist and graphic artist Fahmi Reza doing in court today? @kuasasiswa himself fills us in.
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) August 26, 2022
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“(Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) is sent to jail, and one of my cases is dropped. So it’s a very good week for me.”
The artwork in question featured a caricature resembling Adham and was created to mimic a quarantine “discount coupon”.
The 44-year-old was accused of committing the offence on February 10, through his @kuasasiswa Twitter handle at 3.02pm on the same day, which was later flagged by the Health Ministry’s corporate communications department in Putrajaya.
On another charge over a caricature resembling beer cans and the PAS logo, Fahmi harbours hopes that the proceeding judge will throw out the case as well.
“My lawyers will file a preliminary objection next week.” – The Vibes, August 26, 2022