Sedition case against Rahim Thamby Chik on Sept 20

(Bernama) – The Sessions Court here today fixed four days, beginning Sept 20, to hear the case involving former Malacca chief minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, who is charged with sedition.

Rahim was charged with publishing a seditious post alleging that the Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah, is an apostate on his Facebook account.

Judge Slamat Yahya set the dates after deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar informed the court that both parties had agreed for the case to be heard from Sept 20 to 23 and that the prosecution witnesses would testify through witness statements as provided for under Section 402B of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Lawyer Ahmad Al-Hady Abdul Razak, representing Rahim, then told the court he had yet to finalise the number of witnesses to be called to testify.

Rahim, 65, was alleged to have committed the offence via his Facebook account at Jalan Permata 7/1, Section 7, here about 8am on Sept 25 last year.

He is charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act and is liable to be fined up to RM5,000 or a maximum jail term of three years or both, if convicted.

He has also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of using his Facebook account to make and send comments of a seditious nature with the intention to hurt the feelings of another person at the same place, time and date.

For this offence, he was charged under Section 233 (1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act, and is liable to be fined under Section 233 (3) of the same Act with a maximum fine of RM50,000 or up to one year’s jail or both, if convicted.