Wan Ji sentenced to nine months jail

SHAH ALAM: An information officer attached to the Penang Chief Minister's Office, was sentenced to nine months jail for issuing seditious statements against the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today.
Sessions Court judge Mohd Sabri Ismail meted out the sentence against Wan Ji Wan Hussin, an independent preacher, over statements the latter made in 2012 against the Sultan as well as on religious matters.
The judge however allowed an application by the defendant's lawyer for a stay of execution, and released Wan Ji on a RM5,000 bail pending the appeal process.
Wan Ji was charged on Sept 10, 2014 with publishing words deemed insulting against the Sultan and religion, via his Facebook account, wanji.attaaduddi.
He was accused of committing the offence at the Selangor State Secretary Housing Office at Level 5, Bangunan Sultan Salehuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Seksyen 5, here on 10am on Nov 5, 2012.
Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor, Naliatul Huzaimi Ab Rasip, said the accused had posted six seditious statements via his Facebook which were insulting towards the Sultan of Selangor.
The offence carries a maximum punishment, under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948, of a RM5,000 fine, or imprisonment of no more than three years, or both, for the first offence. The subsequent offence carries a maximum jail term of five years.
Naliatul Huzaimi said, a Bill concerning fake news was recently tabled in Parliament, and thus displays the government's seriousness in tackling the problem.
Meanwhile, Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin, who represented the accused, told the court that Wan Ji was the sole breadwinner for his family. He has five children and a wife.
The accused, he said, is an independent preacher. However, as of eight months ago, he was working as an information officer in the Penang Chief Minister's Office.
"It is unknown as to how long he will continue to be employed there as the Penang state legislative assembly will be dissolved either today or tomorrow," he said.
Mohd Radzlan said if the accused is jailed, his wife, who suffers from diabetes, will face difficulty in looking after their children, aged between one month and 13-years-old.