IGP gets leave to cite blogger for contempt again
IGP Razarudin Husain wants blogger Wan Azri Wan Deris punished for contempt of court over an allegedly 'insincere' apology posted on social media on April 30.
KUALA LUMPUR : The High Court has granted Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain leave to commence committal proceedings for a second time against blogger Wan Azri Wan Deris over his allegedly 'non-solemn' apology to him published on social media.
Judicial commissioner Gan Techiong said Razarudin had established a prima facie case against Wan Azri after the court today viewed Wan Azri's statement of regret published on May 1.
He ordered the blogger, also known as Papagomo, to file an affidavit by May 23 to persuade the court why he should not be cited for contempt.
Razarudin was allowed to file a reply to Wan Azri's affidavit by June 6.
Gan fixed June 30 to hear the application and ordered Wan Azri to be present in court.
Earlier, he allowed Wan Azri's lawyer, Rafique Rashid Ali, to address him although the matter was scheduled to be heard ex parte. Counsel S Raam Kumar, representing Razarudin, did not object.
Rafique said his client had published an apology on four social media platforms and adhered to other orders as directed by the court on April 30.
However, Raam Kumar said the apology was insincere as Wan Azri had posted a five-minute video on May 1 saying that his statement of regret was directed only to the court, and not to Razarudin.
He supplied a pen drive to the court containing footage of the video to prove that Wan Azri was only making a conditional apology.
'He did not direct the apology to my client but to the court to evade going to prison,' he said.
Further, the lawyer said, the apology was posted on four social media platforms on April 30 with the song 'Maafkan Kami', by the late P Ramlee, playing in the background.
'There must be solemnity in the apology, but here it is a joke,' he said.
Razarudin, in his application filed on Monday, wants Wan Azri to be fined and sent to prison.
On April 30, Wan Azri, decided to purge his contempt just before the start of proceedings before Gan over defamatory and demeaning remarks made earlier this year.
In a statement read in court, Wan Azri, a former police officer, expressed his unreserved and unconditional regret for referring to Razarudin in a demeaning manner in a social media posting on Jan 14.
He also apologised for publishing a doctored photo of Razarudin on the same media platform the following day.
He gave an undertaking to the court that he would post his statement of apology on YouTube, Telegram, X, and TikTok on April 30, which would remain on the social media platforms for at least seven days.
The judge also directed Wan Azri to remove the postings made on Jan 14 and 15, which were the subject matter of the contempt of court proceedings.
On Dec 26 last year, Razarudin filed a RM3 million lawsuit against Wan Azri alleging defamation.
He filed the first application for contempt on Jan 24 after the blogger failed to comply with an injunction order issued on Jan 10.
The injunction prohibits Wan Azri or his agents from publishing or disseminating defamatory statements against Razarudin, both in his official and personal capacities, on any social media platform until the defamation suit is resolved.
Wan Azri was also ordered to retract, remove, and delete video postings on his YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, and X accounts dated Dec 14, 15, 20 and 22 last year, which contained the alleged defamatory statements against Razarudin.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
18 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Gerik crash: Bus driver apologises, denies speeding after viral video claims, says brakes failed
TAIPING, June 10 — The driver of the ill-fated bus that crashed and killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students yesterday has apologised and denied claims he was speeding. Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle said the incident was caused by sudden brake failure while descending a hilly stretch on the East-West Highway, near the elephant crossing bridge in Gerik, Harian Metro reported today. 'I apologise to all the victims' families and the students involved in the accident yesterday morning. What happened was because the bus brakes suddenly failed,' he was quoted as saying from his hospital bed at Taiping Hospital, Perak. He said the bus – which departed from Terengganu for the main UPSI campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak – was functioning well, until the brakes failed without warning. 'At that moment, I tried everything I could, but since the bus had no air pressure left, nothing worked — not even the handbrake or the gear shift,' he was quoted as saying. Amirul claimed he did his best to avoid crashing into other vehicles as the bus sped downhill uncontrollably. 'What I did then was try to avoid hitting other vehicles. As far as I remember, I managed to avoid four vehicles, including a lorry, before the accident happened. 'The last vehicle I overtook was a car with a dashcam, and by then I was doing everything I could to prevent a worse situation.' A video clip of the bus overtaking vehicles on the highway has been circulating on the internet since yesterday, prompting questions about its speed. 'People saw me speeding and overtaking, but the truth is I was trying to avoid crashing into them. Unfortunately, it was a winding road and I couldn't do anything more,' Amirul was quoted as saying. The 39-year-old who has been driving buses since 2016 claimed he shouted to warn the students aboard the bus once the brakes failed. 'Those sitting at the front may have heard me, but most at the back were asleep and thought I was just yelling. 'I estimate the bus travelled for over a kilometre without brakes. I truly did my best as a driver to prevent the accident. 'I wasn't speeding as claimed. I know the Jeli-Gerik route well, and we were going downhill at the time,' he was quoted as saying. When the bus overturned, Amirul said he briefly lost consciousness. Upon waking up, he urged the UPSI students to crawl out through the broken windscreen. He related that he did the same and cried when he saw the students' condition. 'In all my years of driving, this is the first accident involving fatalities. As a bus driver, I feel deeply guilty. 'But there's no turning back time. All I can do is apologise, and I leave the investigation to the police,' the Besut native added. Amirul is currently awaiting surgery for a broken left arm. Yesterday, police said preliminary investigations found the bus had hit the rear of a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) before overturning. The MPV carried a family of four who survived the crash after veering into a ditch. The driver and his toddler son have since been discharged while his wife and six-year-old daughter remain warded for medical treatment at Baling Hospital in Kedah. Police have yet to formally question the bus driver and have indicated they will apply for a remand order after he is discharged.
Malay Mail
33 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Gerik crash: Bus driver apologises, denies speeding after viral video, says brakes failed
TAIPING, June 10 — The driver of the ill-fated bus that crashed and killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students yesterday has apologised and denied claims he was speeding. Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle said the incident was caused by sudden brake failure while descending a hilly stretch on the East-West Highway, near the elephant crossing bridge in Gerik, Harian Metro reported today. 'I apologise to all the victims' families and the students involved in the accident yesterday morning. What happened was because the bus brakes suddenly failed,' he was quoted as saying from his hospital bed at Taiping Hospital, Perak. He said the bus – which departed from Terengganu for the main UPSI campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak – was functioning well, until the brakes failed without warning. 'At that moment, I tried everything I could, but since the bus had no air pressure left, nothing worked — not even the handbrake or the gear shift,' he was quoted as saying. Amirul claimed he did his best to avoid crashing into other vehicles as the bus sped downhill uncontrollably. 'What I did then was try to avoid hitting other vehicles. As far as I remember, I managed to avoid four vehicles, including a lorry, before the accident happened. 'The last vehicle I overtook was a car with a dashcam, and by then I was doing everything I could to prevent a worse situation.' A video clip of the bus overtaking vehicles on the highway has been circulating on the internet since yesterday, prompting questions about its speed. 'People saw me speeding and overtaking, but the truth is I was trying to avoid crashing into them. Unfortunately, it was a winding road and I couldn't do anything more,' Amirul was quoted as saying. The 39-year-old who has been driving buses since 2016 claimed he shouted to warn the students aboard the bus once the brakes failed. 'Those sitting at the front may have heard me, but most at the back were asleep and thought I was just yelling. 'I estimate the bus travelled for over a kilometre without brakes. I truly did my best as a driver to prevent the accident. 'I wasn't speeding as claimed. I know the Jeli-Gerik route well, and we were going downhill at the time,' he was quoted as saying. When the bus overturned, Amirul said he briefly lost consciousness. Upon waking up, he urged the UPSI students to crawl out through the broken windscreen. He related that he did the same and cried when he saw the students' condition. 'In all my years of driving, this is the first accident involving fatalities. As a bus driver, I feel deeply guilty. 'But there's no turning back time. All I can do is apologise, and I leave the investigation to the police,' the Besut native added. Amirul is currently awaiting surgery for a broken left arm. Yesterday, police said preliminary investigations found the bus had hit the rear of a Perodua Alza multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) before overturning. The MPV carried a family of four who survived the crash after veering into a ditch. The driver and his toddler son have since been discharged while his wife and six-year-old daughter remain warded for medical treatment at Baling Hospital in Kedah. Police have yet to formally question the bus driver and have indicated they will apply for a remand order after he is discharged.
Free Malaysia Today
34 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Man refuses to pay bail for 16-year-old son who pleaded guilty to rape
According to the police report lodged by the boy's father, the boy committed the offence while his mother was at work. (Pexels pic) PETALING JAYA : A man has refused to pay the RM1,500 bail imposed by the Batu Pahat magistrates' court on his 16-year-old son who pleaded guilty to raping a female acquaintance earlier this month. The 40-year-old man said this was to teach his son a lesson, after the boy's plea before magistrate Arun Noval Dass. Berita Harian reported that the man, who accompanied his son to court for the charge under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, left his son there without paying the bail. The boy was accused of raping his 15-year-old acquaintance at a house in Batu Pahat between 4pm and 5.30pm on June 2. The section provides for up to 20 years' imprisonment and a whipping, upon conviction. According to the police report lodged by the boy's father, the boy committed the offence while his mother was at work. On the day of the incident, his 41-year-old mother came home early to find the girl's slippers outside the house. She knocked on his door several times before it was opened, and found the girl in his bedroom. A police investigation found both the accused and the victim admitting to having had sex 16 to 18 times. The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Firdaus Ruslan while the accused was represented by lawyer Tan Song Yang from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
