PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court today ordered Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd to pay a fine of RM500,000 after finding the company guilty of contempt for facilitating the publication of readersâ comments.
The court, however, said that it was not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan is guilty of the offence.
The court ordered Mkini Dotcom to pay the fine within three days from Monday.
The decision to find Mkini Dotcom guilty for contempt was a 6-1 majority decision by a seven-member bench led by Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Rohana Yusuf.
The majority decision came from Justice Rohana, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Azahar Mohamed, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judges Datuk Seri Mohd Zawawi Salleh, Datuk Vernon Ong Lam Kiat and Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli, while Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan dissented.
Justice Rohana said the court found the charge for facilitating the publication of the comment against Mkini Dotcom has been proven and therefore, hold the company guilty of contempt.
The Attorney-General (AG) sought leave to start committal proceedings against Mkini Dotcom and Gan in relation to five readersâ comments on an article published by Malaysiakini on June 9 entitled âCJ orders all courts to be fully operational from July 1â which was deemed offensive.
On June 17 last year, the Federal Court allowed AGâs ex-parte application for leave to commence committal proceedings against Mkini Dotcom and Gan.
On July 2 last year, Mkini Dotcom, the company which runs news portal Malaysiakini and Gan failed to set aside the leave obtained by AG to commence committal proceedings against them. -Bernama
