Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
mk-logo
News
Blogger Milosuam nabbed over MACC witness statement
Published:  Dec 8, 2017 9:37 PM
Updated: Dec 13, 2017 10:14 AM

Police from Bukit Aman have arrested blogger Yusuf Al-Siddique Suratman, better known as Milosuam, over a leaked MACC witness statement.

It is understood that Yusuf will be held at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters tonight and will appear before a remand hearing tomorrow.

His lawyer Latheefa Koya said Yusuf was arrested at his home in Malacca this afternoon.

Yusuf's wife was told by the police that he would be investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) and Section 203A of the Penal Code, Latheefa said.

Also today, Senai assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi had her statement recorded by the Johor police today, in relation to her speech in the Johor legislative assembly, and the police are said to be applying the same two laws on her.

Section 233 of the CMA criminalises the use of "network facilities" or "services" to transmit communication that is deemed offensive or causing annoyance. Section 203A of the Penal Code relates to "disclosure of information".

Wong's speech was delivered on Nov 28, in which she urged Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin to respond graft allegations highlighted in a MACC witness statement that had been posted online.

On the very same day, Milosuam.net uploaded an article that contained a page from what appeared to be an MACC witness statement.

Khaled has since denied any taking bribes and accused Wong of breaching secrecy laws by referring to the witness statement.

He also told the legislative assembly that he was not in the locations mentioned in the purported witness statements as he was abroad at the material time.

The witness statement was attributed to Amir Shariffuddin Abd Raub, who was earlier this year charged with money laundering and graft, together with former Johor state executive councillor Abdul Latif Bandi.

The MACC later confirmed that the document was indeed leaked, while Amir Shariffuddin lodged a police report claiming that the document was doctored.

Lawyer and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo, who accompanied Wong (photo) to the police station today, said the authorities should be investigating the graft allegations instead of his client.

"The Federal Constitution allows for lawmakers to speak freely on issues of public interest in the legislative assembly or Parliament," Gobind said.

However, he pointed out that this immunity has not always been upheld, pointing to how Seri Delima lawmaker RSN Rayer was once charged with sedition for uttering the word "celaka Umno" in the Penang legislative assembly.

Rayer was subsequently acquitted without his defence being called.

ADS