FORMER Batu Berendam MP Mohd Tamrin Abdul Ghafar pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Johor Baru today to a charge of making a statement offensive to the Johor royal family on his blog last year.

Tamrin, 71, the son of late former deputy prime minister Abdul Ghafar Baba, entered his plea after the charge was read out to him before Judge Wan Mohd Norisham Wan Yaakob.

According to the charge sheet, Tamrin, using his blog tamrintunghafar, knowingly made communications offensive in character and with the intention to hurt the feelings of other people, read on the Facebook page of ‘Dato Tamrin Tun Abdul Ghafar’.

The blog post was article about Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

Tamrin, who is currently unemployed, was charged with committing the offence at Media RPO Services office, Jalan Persiaran Southkey 1, Kota Southkey, at 7pm on February 2, 2020.

The charge, under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), punishable under Section 233(3) of the same act, provides a fine not exceeding RM50,000, or imprisonment for up to a year, or both, if found guilty, and shall also be liable to a further fine of RM1,000 for every day during which the offence is continued after conviction.

Wan Norisham set bail at RM8,000 in one surety and fixed May 23 for case management. – Bernama, March 10, 2021.