CORONAVIRUS | An Indonesian woman was sentenced to one week in jail and fined RM1,000 by the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court today after she pleaded guilty to making a false statement in connection with the spread of Covid-19 infection on her Facebook account.
Fui Lina, 31, made the plea after the charge was read to her by an interpreter before Magistrate Wong Chai Sia.
The court ordered Fui, who works as sales promoter, to serve her jail sentence beginning today. She was also fined RM1,000, in default of one month’s jail.
Fui was alleged to have posted the statement on her Facebook account under the name "Kimiko" about the Covid-19 infection with the intent to cause public mischief.
She was accused to have committed the offence via her Facebook posting at a house in Taman Danau Kota, Setapak, Kuala Lumpur at 9.55pm on Feb 1, and she was charged under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code which provides for a maximum jail term of two years or a fine or both, upon conviction.
Earlier, the accused appealed for a minimum fine because she was a single mother.
However, deputy public prosecutor Wan Ahmad Hakimi Wan Ahmad Jaafar pressed for a just sentence as the accused caused fear among the public.
“A fine alone is insufficient to serve as a lesson for the accused and the public,” he said.
The accused paid the fine. — Bernama
