INDEPENDENT preacher Ebit Irawan Ibrahim, or Ebit Lew, will stand trial on 11 counts of sexual harassment charges from September 27 to 30 at the Tenom magistrates’ court in Sabah.
In a statement last night (Aug 27), Bukit Aman corporate communications head A. Skandaguru said the charges against Ebit, 37, were framed under Section 509 of the Penal Code for allegedly intruding upon the privacy of a person.
He added that Ebit can be sentenced to up to five years in prison or a fine or both if convicted, according to Bernama.
Ebit is alleged to have sent lewd messages and pictures with the intent to outrage the modesty of a woman through WhatsApp between March and July last year. The alleged offences took place in Tenom.
In February, the preacher pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
The court released Ebit from custody after he posted bail of RM1,000 bail for each of the charges in two sureties.
Ebit has since rubbished the sexual harassment allegations as “baseless” and “having an ulterior motive”, adding that the claims were intended to damage his reputation and prevent him from doing his charity work.
The self-described Malay-Chinese entrepreneur is best known for his missionary work, where he converts those who voluntarily want to embrace Islam.
He also works closely with at-risk groups such as the poor, stateless folks and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
“But I am not worried (after learning about the charges being brought against him) because I know I am not guilty,” Free Malaysia Today (FMT) quoted him as saying after claiming trial earlier this year.
“I believe this is a test from Allah,” he added.
The police initially investigated Ebit under Section 509 of the Penal Code as well as Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. – Aug 28, 2022
Main photo credit: Utusan
