Press groups vow to provide Mkini reporter moral support

Summary

• Press groups vow to provide moral support for Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar throughout his trial, under the principle of being innocent until proven guilty.

• They also urge Nantha to be given full legal access to defend himself in court.

Two press groups vowed to provide moral support for Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar throughout his trial, under the principle of being innocent until proven guilty.

This comes after the senior reporter claimed trial to the bribe charges at the Shah Alam Sessions Court earlier today.

“We will monitor the proceedings closely and hope Nantha gets a fair trial and full legal access to defend himself in the court of law.

“And we believe the courts are the best place for us to unearth the truth,” the National Union of Journalists-Malaysiakini committee said in a statement today.

Denial

Nantha claimed trial to the charge under Section 16(a)(A) of the Act, which carries a maximum prison term of up to 20 years and a fine not less than five times the amount of gratification accepted.

Nantha, who has exposed numerous migrant worker syndicates in the past, has denied the allegation of accepting a RM20,000 bribe from a Pakistani agent.

According to the charge read out in court, he was alleged to have received the bribe from a Pakistani national at the Concorde Hotel in Shah Alam at 11.45pm on Feb 28.

The charge accused him of receiving the money as inducement to take down and not upload articles on the Malaysiakini news portal over migrant syndicates.

Judge Nasir Nordin granted RM10,000 bail in one surety and ordered Nantha’s passport to be surrendered to the court.

Nantha was also ordered to report to the nearest MACC office once a month and set April 23 for mention of the case.

Echoing NUJ-Malaysiakini’s sentiments, NUJ secretary-general Teh Athira Mohd Yusof called for justice to be served.

“Apart from monitoring the case, we stand by our principles in defending media freedom and protecting the rights and welfare of our reporters,” she added.

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