Papagomo Ordered to Enter Defence Over False Post Claiming PKR MPs Withdrew Support for Anwar

SEPANG, July 30 — The Sessions Court here today ordered blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, widely known as Papagomo, to enter his defence on a charge of publishing a false social media post alleging that 11 PKR Members of Parliament had withdrawn their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the 42-year-old former UMNO Youth executive committee member at the close of its case.

In his judgment, Ahmad Fuad emphasized that the court was satisfied the prosecution had proven all three elements of the charge through witness testimony and documentary evidence presented during trial. He dismissed defence arguments claiming the prosecution failed to establish a case because it called only two witnesses, noting that witness count is not the deciding factor in proving a prima facie case.

The judge warned that disseminating false claims regarding parliamentary support carries severe broader consequences for public order and economic stability.

“Imagine the impact of such content. It not only causes public anxiety but, in this context, also affects investor confidence. The court therefore finds that the prosecution has successfully proven all three elements of the charge. Accordingly, the accused is ordered to enter his defence,” Judge Ahmad Fuad said.

The court fixed Sept 1, 2, and 15 for the defence proceedings, with the final judgment scheduled to be delivered on Oct 22.

The charge alleges that Wan Muhammad Azri created and initiated a false communication through the Facebook account ‘Muhammad Azri’ on May 28, 2025, containing untrue information that 11 PKR MPs had pulled support for Anwar, with the intent to annoy and harass others.

Earlier during submissions, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin argued that liability under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 does not depend on whether the accused was the original author of the message.

“The accused’s act of uploading the false content to his own Facebook account, with the intention prohibited under the law, is sufficient to satisfy the elements of the offence under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” Faten Hadni submitted.

In response, defence counsel Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali argued that there was no conclusive proof showing his client created or initiated the message, pointing out that trial testimony confirmed the content was already circulating on messaging platforms.

“The witness’s own testimony showed that the message had already gone viral on WhatsApp, meaning a key element of the charge had not been proven and the accused should have been acquitted without being called to enter his defence,” Rafique argued.

Wan Muhammad Azri was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which carries a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM500,000, or both upon conviction, as well as an additional fine of RM5,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.

-NMT