The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has decided to charge Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh over statements he made on his Facebook page, “Akmal Saleh”, which were said to disrupt public order.
In a statement, the AGC said it would proceed to charge Akmal under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code for making statements conducing to public mischief.
However, it did not specify the Facebook content in question.
In a Facebook video, Akmal said police had informed him that he would be charged at the magistrates’ court in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, on Friday, at 8am.
He said he would cut short his trip to Mecca, after arriving there just yesterday, to face the charge against him.
Last Friday, it was reported that police had launched a probe into a viral Facebook video featuring Akmal making statements that were considered to be “hate speech” that could disturb public peace.
It was not clear which video is the subject of the investigation. However, in recent days, Akmal has posted videos concerning a Jalur Gemilang mishap at a Penang hardware store, where the national flag was hoisted upside down.
In one of Akmal’s videos, he said prosecutors had two days to charge the shop owner, failing which he said he would personally “teach this ‘Ah Pek’ (uncle) how to correctly put up a flag”.
The AGC also confirmed that Bersatu Youth chief Hilman Idham would be charged under the same section over remarks he made in a video posted on the TikTok account “alfah.channel.tv”.
Earlier, Bersatu Youth information chief Harris Idaham Rashid said the wing’s chief is expected to be charged at the magistrates’ court in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow over a speech he delivered during a gathering outside the Dang Wangi police headquarters last month.
The AGC today said it had also decided to charge a woman named Siti Hajar Aflah Sharuddin under the same section as Akmal and Hilman, and S Chandrasegaran under the Communications and Multimedia Act for posting offensive content online.
“All charges will be brought before the magistrates’ court with the appropriate local jurisdiction in due course.”
