Two men were fined RM4,000 each by the Sessions Court today after pleading guilty to spreading false information related to the Budi MADANI RON95 initiative through TikTok.
Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman imposed the sentence on 29-year-old private driver Mohd Aiman Zaini Satar after he admitted to publishing and initiating the transmission of false communications online.
The court also ordered Mohd Aiman to serve six months in prison if he fails to pay the fine.
According to the charge, the accused knowingly uploaded false content with the intention of offending others on April 4, with the material later detected on April 5 at around 11am at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) headquarters in Cyberjaya.
He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which carries penalties of up to RM500,000 in fines, a maximum two-year jail term, or both upon conviction.
During sentencing, Ahmad Fuad stressed that offences involving false online content are serious and can potentially create public unrest if left unchecked.
“The impact of what we post can be serious and may sometimes create chaos. People need to be careful when uploading content,” the judge said.
The prosecution was conducted by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission prosecuting officer Nazrul Nizam Mohd Zameri, while Mohd Aiman was not represented by a lawyer.
Earlier, Mohd Aiman appealed for a lighter sentence, telling the court his income as a private driver was unstable and that he also needed to support his wife and two-and-a-half-year-old child who is suffering from leukemia.
In the same proceedings, the court also fined 46-year-old Civil Defence Force volunteer Romfazly Syam Mohd Mokhtar RM4,000 after he pleaded guilty to a similar offence involving false TikTok content linked to BUDI95.
The accused was charged with committing the offence on April 4, with the content later detected at the same location in Cyberjaya the following day.
Judge Ahmad Fuad said Romfazly Syam, as a volunteer with the Malaysian Civil Defence Force, should act as an “agent of the government” by helping explain government policies responsibly to the public.
He reminded the accused to be more cautious about content shared on social media platforms.
Both men later paid their fines.
