THE prosecution has opposed the move to transfer Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s sedition case from the Selayang Sessions Court to the Shah Alam High Court, asserting that the case lacks complex legal issues.
Deputy public prosecutor Masri Mohd Daud expressed this stance in an affidavit, countering PAS leader Sanusi’s attempt to have the High Court hear the sedition case instead of the lower court.
“This case does not involve difficult, complex or extraordinary issues of law that require a full trial before the High Court. There have been many legal precedents set by the higher court over the issue of the Sedition Act 1948 (Act 15).
“The learned Sessions Court judge is competent and authoritative to preside over criminal cases within the jurisdiction of the Sessions Court, including cases under Act 15 for which the applicant (Sanusi) is charged,” Masri said in the affidavit filed at the High Court yesterday (Jan 23).
Moreover, Sanusi had claimed trial in July last year for uttering seditious words related to the appointment of the Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and the establishment of the federal coalition government.
The charges, under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948, carry a maximum penalty of RM5,000 or a jail term of up to three years, or both.
The Jeneri assemblyperson allegedly committed the offences during a political talk in Gombak on July 11, 2023. – Jan 24, 2023
