Surendran out on RM5,000 bail

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR vice-president N. Surendran (pix), who was charged with sedition yesterday, has been released on RM5,000 bail.
Sessions court judge Zainol Rashid Hussain fixed Sept 18 for case management.
Surendran was accused of releasing a press statement on April 18 titled "Court of Appeal's Fitnah 2 - Written Judgement is Flawed, Defensive and Insupportable".
He was then accused of making a seditious statement, an act punishable under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act, which carries a first-offence penalty of a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or a jail term not exceeding three years, or both, and a jail term not exceeding five years for a subsequent offence.
A fine of more than RM2,000 could affect Surendran's political career. Under the Federal Constitution, an elected representative is disqualified from office if fined more than RM2,000 or jailed for a term exceeding one year.
"This accusation is baseless and has political motive. I plead not guilty," Surendran told Zainol in court yesterday.
Deputy public prosecutor Syed Faisal Syed Amir asked for bail to be set at RM10,000.
Defence counsel M. Puravelan requested bail on the grounds that Surendran is Padang Serai MP and a Bar Council member.
Surendran was also represented by PKR legal bureau chief Latheefa Koya and Dr Dheeraj Bhar.
He was called in for questioning on Monday night, following police reports lodged against him for claiming that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had influenced the court in fixing an early date for Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy conviction appeal at the Federal Court.