KOTA KINABALU: Celebrity preacher Ebit Lew has been slapped with 11 charges, including sexual harassment, at the court in Tenom, which is in the interior of Sabah on Friday (Feb 18).
Ebit, whose real name is Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew, 37, arrived at the circuit court in the Tenom district office, accompanied by several people believed to be his aides around 9am.
A huge presence of police has been placed to monitor the security at the district office since word got out that Ebit would be charged.
Bukit Aman criminal investigation department (CID) director Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said Ebit was charged with 11 counts of sending lewd photos and words with the intention of outraging the modesty of an individual through WhatsApp.
"The offence is under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which carries up to five years imprisonment or a fine or both upon conviction," he said in a statement on Friday.
The offences had allegedly occurred in Tenom, Sabah, between March and June last year involving a woman, Comm Abd Jalil said.
"We urge the public not to speculate on the matter to ensure the court proceedings run smoothly," he said.
On Oct 1 last year, the preacher and his wife were called up by police after sexual harassment claims were made against him.
Videos and messages purportedly by the famous preacher had been circulated on Telegram a few months ago.
In the videos, a man who resembled the preacher could be seen performing indecent acts on camera.
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