I won't surrender my phone to cops for probe, says Chegubard

KUALA LUMPUR: A defiant Badrul Hisham Shaharin, also known as Chegubard, says he is willing to be arrested and will not hand over his mobile phone to police.

The Bersatu member is being investigated over a video circulated on social media in which he and party colleague Muhammad Zahid Md Arip comment about Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim being gifted a car by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.

"This (demand for my phone) is clearly a form of intimidation," said Chegubard when met outside Bukit Aman on Wednesday (March 6).

He said he would nonetheless cooperate with the sedition investigation.

"As for the Communications and Multimedia Act probe, I believe I should not be investigated.

"I did not record or spread that video," he said, adding that he was firm on not handing over his mobile device if police requested it.

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He said he had done so previously and joked that one could open a mobile phone shop with the number of devices he had surrendered.

"There is no point in the 5min, 46sec where His Majesty was insulted.

"We were defending the King by explaining to the people that His Majesty is the hope for the rakyat to save the country which is headed towards becoming a failed state," he said, adding that the investigation was against the Federal Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had said on Tuesday (March 5) that an investigation paper (IP) has been opened against Chegubard for alleged inflammatory remarks about the gift of the car.

He added that an IP had also been opened against Muhammad Zahid, a former political secretary to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 for the same alleged offence.