KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Sin Chew Media Corporation Bhd and Sinar Karangkraf Sdn Bhd have the right to challenge the RM100,000 fines imposed on them by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said.
According to national daily Utusan Malaysia, Teo said the two publishing houses could lodge appeals if they felt the penalties were too harsh.
“That is MCMC’s decision. If they (Sin Chew and Sinar) feel the compound is too heavy, they can file an appeal,” she told reporters during a visit to the Sinar Harapan Kulai Project site at Taman Impian Senai yesterday.
“Yes, they can appeal, but I’m not sure about the time frame or other details. This has to be checked with MCMC,” she added.
The commission issued the fines after obtaining approval from the Attorney General’s Chambers.
Sin Chew was penalised for uploading an incomplete illustration of the Jalur Gemilang in its digital newspaper, while Sinar Karangkraf was fined over a post on its official Instagram account that carried false information about the inspector-general of police.
Both cases were investigated under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides penalties under Section 233(2). The compounds were issued under Section 243 of the same Act.
