KUALA LUMPUR: Former UMNO Youth executive committee member Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, known as Papagomo, has been sentenced to 30 days imprisonment for contempt of court.
High Court Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong ruled that Wan Muhammad Azri violated a court injunction related to an ongoing defamation lawsuit filed by former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.
The court imposed a 15-day jail term for the first injunction breach earlier this year and another 15 days for a second violation in May.
Gan ordered the sentences to run consecutively, resulting in a total 30-day prison term, though execution was stayed pending appeal.
The court additionally directed Wan Muhammad Azri to pay RM30,000 in costs to Razarudin within three to four days.
The injunction specifically prohibited Wan Muhammad Azri from making or repeating defamatory statements against Razarudin on social media platforms.
Judicial Commissioner Gan found the April 30 apology video unsatisfactory due to its illegible fast speed and inappropriate background music from P. Ramlee’s classic film Pendekar Bujang Lapok.
“The music from the P. Ramlee song made it appear more like an entertainment video rather than a sincere apology,“ Gan stated during the ruling.
He emphasised that the apology’s purpose was to purge contempt, and its failure to achieve this warranted a guilty verdict.
Gan further noted that Wan Muhammad Azri should have refrained from any additional comments after tendering his unconditional court apology on April 30.
The blogger instead posted another video the following day explaining his apology, which the court found demonstrated no genuine remorse.
“The video conveying the apology did not reflect any genuine remorse and left viewers in no doubt that the apology was made solely to avoid punishment for contempt of court,“ Gan added.
This case stems from an RM3 million defamation lawsuit filed by Razarudin against Wan Muhammad Azri concerning allegedly defamatory remarks that also mentioned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – Bernama
