BERSATU information committee member Badrul Hisham Shaharin pleaded not guilty today in the Johor Baru Sessions Court to publishing seditious material on social media.
Chegubard, as he is popularly known, claimed trial to the charge after it was read before judge Rasidah Roslee.
Yesterday, the 45-year-old blogger was charged with two counts of defaming the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and inciting discontent at the king.
He allegedly committed the offence on Facebook at 6.30pm on April 26.
The offending post was about a alleged casino project in Forest City which the prime minister has since denied.
Chegubard was charged 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.
Datuk Masri Mohd Daud, Abdul Ghafar Ab Latif, Abdul Malik Ayob and Nadia Mohd Izhar were the deputy public prosecutors. The accused was represented by Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali.
The court set bail at RM10,000 and June 24 for case re-mention and trial dates to be set.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim, who is a lawyer, was present in court to lend the accused moral support.
Yesterday, Chegubard claimed trial to two charges of making seditious remarks and defaming Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, at the cybercrime sessions court.
He pleaded not guilty before judge Siti Aminah Ghazali.
Bail was set at RM10,000 for each charge. – April 30, 2024.
