Wednesday June 11, 2008

Court sets date to determine sedition charge

KUALA LUMPUR: A Sessions Court here has set July 4 to hear submissions to determine if the charge against businessman Syed Akbar Ali for allegedly posting a seditious comment on a news portal is defective.

Former banker and writer Syed Akbar, 48, pleaded not guilty to posting the comment in Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin’s article titled Malaysia’s organised crime syndicate: all roads lead to Putrajaya.

The offence was allegedly committed at 2.59pm on June 5 last year at Zeenath Begum Jewellers Sdn Bhd in Jalan Masjid India.

Yesterday, lawyer Ashok Kandiah told the court he was ready to hand over a copy of his written submission to the prosecution. DPP Ishak Yusof said he would need time to reply to the written submissions.

Judge Rozana Ali Yusoff ordered the prosecutor to put in his reply to the court before the hearing on the preliminary objections.

Lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and counsel Haris Ibrahim also appeared for the accused.