A PART-TIME employee at a government agency pleaded not guilty in the Alor Star Sessions Court today to a charge of sending obscene communications with the intention of annoying others, through WhatsApp, about two years ago.

Muhammad Zakir Ramli, 29, is accused of knowingly making and sending photographs of an obscene nature, using the WhatsApp app, between 7.30am on May 20, 2021 and 3.02am on May 28, 2021.

The photographs were seen at 12.11pm on May 28, 2021 at a factory in Jalan Bukit Wang, Kampung Padang Panjang, Jitra.

The charge is framed under section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and punishable under section 233(3) of the same law, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, upon conviction.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission prosecuting officer Nazrul Nizam Mohd Zameri asked the court to impose bail of RM1,000 in one surety.

However, the accused, who was not represented by a lawyer, appealed for a lower bail amount on the grounds that he works part-time with a salary of around RM1,400 a month and has to support his wife and a one-year-old child.

Judge Jean Sharmila Jesudason then allowed the accused bail of RM800 in one surety and set May 22 for the submission of documents and the appointment of a lawyer. – Bernama, April 16, 2023.