KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 — Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan pleaded not guilty in the High Court here today to a charge with giving support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist via his Facebook account.

Saminathan, 35, made the plea after the charge was read to him in Tamil before Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin.

He was alleged to have supported the LTTE terrorist group on the Facebook under the name of ‘Gsami Nathan Siva’ at the Bukit Aman Special Branch Investigations Division E8 (M) Counter-Terrorism Office at 9.30pm on October 8, 2019.

The charge was framed under Section 130J (1) (a) of the Penal Code which provides for a sentence of life imprisonment or a maximum imprisonment of 30 years or a fine and forfeiture of any property used or intended to be used for the offence, upon conviction.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Firdaus Abu Hanipah informed the court that the accused had another case related to the LTTE in a different High Court.

"The High Court had previously set February 11 for mention of the case, hence, I am also applying for the same date in this court.

"At the same time, the prosecution will file an application to determine which court will hear the case,” he said.

Judge Muhammad Jamil set February 11 for mention of the Saminathan case.

On January 20, Saminathan, represented by lawyer Harshaan Zamani, pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing LTTE-related items and providing support for the LTTE terrorist group after the charges were read to him before Judicial Commissioner Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh.

He was charged with supporting the terrorist group at an event held at the Dewan Kasturi Air Keroh, Jalan Utama, Taman Ayer Keroh Heights, Melaka, between 8.30am and 10.50pm on November 28, 2018, and one count of possessing items related to the group in his cellphone at the office of Unity, Human Resources and Consumer Afairs exco, in the Chief Minister’s Office, Kompleks Seri Negeri, Melaka, at 10.25am on October 10, 2019. — Bernama