KANGAR: A housewife was fined RM5,000 at the Sessions Court here after she pleaded guilty to spreading fake news about Covid-19 through a social media app in Arau last April.
Norjannah Rusli, 28, made the plea after the charges were read before Sessions judge Musyiri Peet.
The accused was charged with using the WhatsApp application's "status" feature, through a phone number registered under her name, with the intention to cause public fear or anxiety, at Lot 8664, Jalan Pauh, Kampung Belukar, Arau, at 10.31am on April 18.
She was charged under Section 4(1) of the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) (No 2) 2021.
If convicted, the offender can be fined not more than RM100,000 or imprisoned for up to three years or both; in the case of a continuing offence, the accused can be further fined not more than RM1,000 for each day the offence continues.
Perlis prosecution director Mohd Nordin Ismail prosecuted, while the accused was represented by lawyer Zuhair Ahmad Zakuan and assisted by Siti Hajar Che Ahmad from the National Legal Aid Foundation.
Mohd Nordin in his submission said this was the first case of its kind in Perlis, and although this was the accused's first offence, her act of uploading misinformation and unverified news about Covid-19 in a school in Arau had caused concern among residents and teachers at the school.
He requested for an appropriate punishment for the accused as a lesson to the community to not arbitrarily share untrue or unverified news.
Zuhair, who represented the accused, asked the court to commute the sentence as the accused was 28 days pregnant.
He said the accused also had two children aged four and five, and a husband who recently lost his job as a lorry driver due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Zuhair said the act by the accused who shared the news was only to remind the community to be more careful, as she was worried about the increasing Covid-19 infection in Perlis.
Judge Musyiri, however, imposed a fine of RM5,000 and that she could be jailed for five months if she failed to pay.
The accused paid the fine.
On April 20, the Perlis state education department lodged a police report following a social media post claiming that nine students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Guar Nangka had been tested positive for Covid-19, which went viral on social media.
Its director Naharudeen Othman said the report was made at the Kangar district police headquarters.
After investigations, only one person was found positive.