Six people nationwide will be hauled up in court tomorrow for insulting Perak Sultan Azlan Shah in blogs or through the posting of comments.

It is learnt that to be charged are two individuals at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court, one in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, one in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and one in Butterworth, Penang.

malaysian law conference 291007 sultan azlan shah 1 A few more are scheduled to be charged in Kuala Terengganu on Sunday with a similar offence.

It is understood that they are being hauled up for posting comments which have been deemed to be insulting to the Perak sultan over the present political crisis in the Silver State, which saw the Pakatan Rakyat-led government being ousted by Barisan Nasional following the defection of three assemblypersons.

The crisis culminated in Sultan Azlan Shah asking the ousted Pakatan Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin to step down.

However, Nizar refused, resulting in a protracted battle in courts in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.

It is not known whether any of those to be charged were involved in defacing the Perak royal website .

Facing jail, fine

Bukit Aman's Commercial Crime Department's Cyber and Multimedia Crime Investigation unit has probing the cases for the past one month.

It is also learnt that the individuals will be charged under section 233 of the Multimedia and Communications Act 1998 for "unwise use of network or network services for making comments, demands, suggestions or communication which are vulgar, false, threatening or disturbing".

If they are charged under this section, they stand to face a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of one year, or both.

This will the first time that individuals are hauled up under this section.

Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail later confirmed that six individuals are to be charged tomorrow and possibly another two on Sunday.

LATEST UPDATE - 10.45pm:

Umno politician to be charged too

Meanwhile in an unrelated development, it is learnt that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission would be charging an Umno leader for alleged involvement in money politics tomorrow.

The politician, vying for the supreme council post in the coming party polls, is expected to be charged at the Sessions Court in Temerloh, Pahang.

This would be the first big catch of the MACC in its ongoing probe into money politics in Umno.

MACC sources told Malaysiakini that the commission was making all necessary arrangement to prefer charges against the politician tomorrow.

On a related matter of MACC's probe into alleged money politics, party supreme council member and Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said said she has nothing to hide and will cooperate with the MACC.

Azalina, who is also contesting to retain her party post, has come under a cloud after two of her aides were picked up by MACC for alleged money politics.

However Azalina told reporters today that she has not been called by the MACC over anything. The commission has however taken several documents from her office on Wednesday.

She also added that she had no knowledge of the RM70,000 which was found in her aide's possession last week.

"I have nothing to hide. I will cooperate with the MACC. I trust they will carry out their investigation in a professional manner without prejudice," she said.

Bernama also quoted her as saying that she had no clue as to why the MACC was investigating her ministry.

"I am not so sure what are they looking for and the purpose of their investigations. But I am confident a person is innocent until proven otherwise," she said.

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