Facing charges: Dr Muhamad Akmal (left) and Muhammad Hilman.
PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh will be charged at the Bukit Mertajam Magistrate’s Court this Friday with making statements likely to cause fear or alarm to the public.
He said that he was informed of the charge via a call from the police as he was performing umrah in Mecca yesterday.
“I have been contacted by the police that I will be charged in court under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.
“Therefore, I will shorten my umrah and return home to face the charge this Friday at the Bukit Mertajam Magistrate’s Court at 8am,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.
If convicted, a person can be punished with up to two years imprisonment, a fine, or both.
While he did not mention why he was being charged, he stressed that he would not back down.
“If this is the price I must pay to uphold the sovereignty of the nation, I will not retreat even an inch.
“See you in court this Friday,” Dr Muhamad Akmal added in his post.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in a statement last night confirmed that it would charge Dr Muhamad Akmal over a Facebook post under the name “Akmal Saleh”.
It also revealed others to be charged, namely, Bersatu Youth chief Muhammad Hilman Idham over a TikTok post under the account “alfah.channel.tv”; Chandrasegaran Subramaniam over a statement made on TikTok under the account “cikguchandra3” and a statement made by Siti Hajar Aflah Sharuddin on the TikTok account “SHA_Abrienda”.
The AGC said based on the evidence and statements obtained, charges would be filed against Dr Muhamad Akmal, Muhammad Hilman and Siti Hajar Aflah under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code while Chandrasegaran would be charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988.
All charges will be filed in the Magistrate’s Court, said the AGC.
The AGC, however, did not specify the social media content in question.
