All 15 individuals paid the fine.
Deputy Health Minister I Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali, together with Perak executive councillor (exco) Razman Zakaria and 13 other individuals were fined RM1,000 each by the Gerik Magistrate’s Court for defying the movement control order (MCO) by attending a lunch gathering in Lenggong on April 17.
According to the charge sheet, the accused were found to have gathered in an infected area for a social purpose and as such, they failed to obey the MCO.
The charge carries a maximum fine of RM1,000 or six months’ imprisonment or both, if convicted.
Magistrate Norhidayati Mohammad Nasroh handed down the sentence after all 15 pleaded guilty to the charge, in a proceeding that lasted about 30 minutes.
The court also ordered them to serve a one-month jail term if they fail to pay the fine.
Deputy public prosecutor Azhar Mokhtar and Mohamad Amri Alfikri Mohamad Dasuki prosecuted, while all the accused were represented by lawyer Nor Zahari Ismail.
In mitigation, Nor Zahari pleaded for a lenient sentence, as it was his clients’ first ever offence and they regretted their actions and promise not to repeat it in the future.
Azhar said each of them should be punished accordingly after listening to the facts of the case.
Before meting out the sentence, Norhidayati said the accused had given good cooperation to the police throughout the investigation.
“I took into account the purpose of the gathering, which was to help the local people in fighting the spread of Covid-19.
“But such a gathering was not allowed under Rule 6(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342). It could lead to the spread of Covid-19 and expose others to the life-threatening virus,” she said.
All 15 individuals paid the fine.
Earlier, Noor Azmi, 59, and Razman, 60, arrived at the court at 9.25am in separate vehicles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-K9JmVE_pI
A large number of policemen and media practitioners were spotted at the court complex. However, social distancing was practised throughout the proceeding, with only three reporters allowed to enter the courtroom.
Noor Azmi, when met after the proceeding, apologised for violating the law and said that he will be more careful when carrying out his duties in the future.
“The matter is over now. I will try not to repeat this mistake again and be more careful in the future,” he told reporters briefly before leaving.