KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 ― The High Court in Shah Alam today allowed Islamic preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin to remain out of jail until he exhausts all appeals on his 12-month jail sentence after being convicted of sedition against the Selangor sultan.
Judge Datuk Abdul Halim Aman made the ruling on condition that Wan Ji pays the bail amount set of RM5,000 and surrenders his passport as set by the Sessions Court previously.
“The stay of execution for the sentence is allowed and the conditions set before this are to remain,” he was quoted saying by national news agency during an application hearing filed by Wan Ji’s lawyers.
The 37-year-old who is a member of PKR was represented by Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin and Ariff Azami Hussein.
Mohd Asnawi Abu Hanipah was present on behalf of the prosecution.
Bernama reported Wan Ji had spent the past two days at Kajang Prison.
He filed an appeal against the court decision last Tuesday to increase his jail sentence from the original nine months to 12 and to stay the execution as well.
Radzlan told reporters at court that his team gave 18 reasons for Wan Ji’s case.
“Among the reasons presented by our side was that the jail sentence that Wan Ji has to serve is long and he is the sole breadwinner of his family,” Bernama quoted him saying.
Wan Ji was sent to jail July 9 when the High Court rejected his conviction appeal for making seditious remarks against Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor seven years ago.
Wan Ji was charged under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and was initially sentenced to nine-month Jail in April last year by the Sessions Court, which was increased to 12 months by High Court judge Abdul Halim Aman last Tuesday.
Critics of the Sedition Act rallied around him, saying the preacher should not have been jailed after the Pakatan Harapan government promised to repeal the archaic law.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in Parliament yesterday that his administration is still committed to repealing the colonial British-era law but will replace it with another suitable legislation, without disclosing further details.
