SEPANG: The Sepang Sessions Court today fined a personal driver and a Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) volunteer RM4,000 each for spreading false information regarding the Budi MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) initiative on TikTok.
Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman, on Wednesday (May 20), handed down the sentence against Mohd Aiman Zaini Satar, 29, describing the offence as serious, warning that it could trigger public disorder. He also ordered him to serve six months in prison if he fails to pay the fine.
"The impact of our online posts is serious; it can sometimes lead to chaos. If left unchecked, such actions can create unrest. Be careful when posting," he cautioned.
According to the charge, the accused knowingly created and transmitted a false post with the intent to annoy any person on April 4, which was viewed on April 5 at Level 8, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998, which provides for a maximum fine of RM500,000, or up to two years in prison, or both, upon conviction.
MCMC prosecuting officer Nazrul Nizam Mohd Zameri appeared for the prosecution, while Mohd Aiman was unrepresented.
Earlier, Mohd Aiman pleaded for a lighter sentence, citing his irregular income and the need to support his wife and his two-and-a-half-year-old child, who is battling leukaemia.
Separately, before the same judge, APM volunteer Romfazly Syam Mohd Mokhtar, 46, was also fined RM4,000 or, in default, six months in jail for sharing false information about the BUDI95 subsidy on TikTok.
The post was made on April 4 and later viewed on April 5 at Level 8, MCMC Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya. He was charged under the same section of the CMA 1998.
Ahmad Fuad said the accused should have served as a "government agent" to explain the government's roles and policies, and warned him to be far more careful with his social media posts.
Both men later paid the fine. – Bernama
