KUALA LUMPUR – Tuition teacher Mohd Nazaruddin Yusoff, 50, pleaded not guilty to posting fake news on Facebook at the sessions court in Johor Baru, Johor, in what is believed to be the first case since the emergency ordinance came into effect in March.
Free Malaysia Today reported that Nazaruddin claimed a traffic policeman died after receiving his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The post titled “Mati lagi… di Pontian, vaksin kedua” (“Another death… in Pontian, second vaccine”) was accompanied by a photo of three policemen attending to another officer. A policewoman was also seen in the picture.
A post-mortem report later found that the officer died of a heart attack.
Nazaruddin was released on an RM8,000 bail and will be back in court on July 7 for the next mention.
The Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021, which came into effect on March 11, defines “fake news” as news or information that “is or are wholly or partly false relating to Covid-19 or the proclamation of emergency”.
The offender will face a jail term of up to three years or fine up to RM100,000, or both, if found guilty. – The Vibes, June 2, 2021
