Four men have been charged for distributing materials regarding the secession of Sabah and Sarawak from the Malaysian Federation.

The four are Azrie Situ, 25, Jemmy Liku Markus Situ, 32, Erick Jack William, 29, and Joseph Kolis, 29.

They pleaded not guilty before judge Dean Wayne Dally to a charge under Section 4(2) of the Sedition Act 1948, which carries a maximum fine of RM2,000, 18 months jail term or both.

They were among the nine people who were nabbed in Tuaran on Feb 1 for possessing material linked to the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia website.

Bail was set at RM20,000. It is understood that they have yet to post bail.

According to several news reports, close to 100 people were at the court when the charge was read. Among those present was former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee and former finance minister Mohd Noor Mansoor.

When contacted, Yong said that the four individuals were charged for merely asking the public to sign a petition over Sabah's rights.

"There does not seem to be any element of incitement or inflammatory statements," he said.

He added that the RM20,000 bail was excessive as it was 10 times the maximum fine stipulated under the law.