Former PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan will be charged under the Sedition Act and Communications and Multimedia Act on Monday.

This is believed to be related to a PSM statement which condemned the court judgment on former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy case.

"After Feb 10, PSM released a statement by Arul condemning the judgment being a political judgment; following that, on Feb 19, he was arrested and remanded.

"We believe this charge is in relation to that (statement)," PSM secretary-general A Sivarajan told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Arutchelvam's lawyer New Sin Yew confirmed that the former PSM secretary-general will be charged with sedition on Monday.

Alternatively, the lawyer said that Arutchelvam could be charged under Section 233 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia (MCMC) Act 1998, for improper use of network services.

Under the alternative charge, Arutchelvam faces a maximum sentence of a fine of up to RM50,000 or a year's jail.

New said he will be representing the former PSM secretary-general in court.

Arutchelvam is the latest opposition figure to be charged with sedition, a draconian pre-independence law which Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had proposed to repeal but reneged.

Anwar was jailed for five years after losing appeal in the Federal Court this February.

Immediately after this, inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar warned that Arutchelvan, along with several other opposition figures, would be investigated for criticising the court's decision.

'Nothing seditious'

However, Sivarajan defended Arutchelvan's statement, saying it has nothing seditious as it was not meant to incite racial tension.

He also pointed out that it was the duty of political parties to comment on any judgment that was deemed unjust.

“That was actually a party statement…We think it is unnecessary for a reasonable and official party statement made by Arul to be deemed as seditious.

"If that was seditious, what (former prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad said about the (Sosma charge) against (Matthias) Chang and Khairuddin (Abu Hassan) is also (said) in the same context," he said.

Arutchelvan is in the Philippines attending the Apec conference and will be back tomorrow, he added.