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©New Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Lydia Gomez

KUALA LUMPUR: Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was yesterday charged with criminally defaming the wife of the deputy prime minister.

The Malaysia Today editor, who is accused of committing the offence against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and two others, nodded when the interpreter asked if he understood the charges, but refused to make a plea.

"I refuse to respond to the plea on the grounds that they are both defective and mala fide," said Raja Petra, 58, before magistrate Nazran Mohd Sham yesterday.

Deputy public prosecutor Anselm Charles Fernandis said the prosecution would continue with the case even without a plea.

(Section 173(c) of the Criminal Procedure Code states if the accused refuses to plead, the court shall proceed to take all such evidence as may be produced in support of the prosecution).
Raja Petra stood up and said that he did not enter a plea of not guilty.

"The prosecution cannot interpret that I pleaded not guilty. With due respect to the court, I refused to respond. How does the court interpret that? I said it very clearly in Queen's English and I gave two reasons why I am not making a plea.

"If my lawyers accept the prosecution's statement, I will sack my lawyers and represent myself."

He was charged with criminal defamation against Rosmah, bomb expert acting colonel Abdul Aziz Buyong and his wife Col Norhayati Hassan in his statutory declaration filed at the High Court here on June 18.

The charges stated that he made the declaration knowing that it would damage the reputation of the three persons.

Anselm proposed bail at RM10,000, and Raja Petra's counsel J. Chandra applied to have it reduced to RM5,000 stating his client had co-operated with the police.

Raja Petra said: "I wish to sack my lawyer and argue on my own. There is no necessity for bail. I have been in and out of courts and I have cooperated with investigators."

Nazran stopped him saying: "I have not finished recording. Please give me a chance to finish writing. If you don't respect me, it's okay. Please respect the court."

Chandra asked for a recess at 12.50pm and proceedings resumed 40 minutes later, when a calmer Raja Petra remained silent in the dock.

Chandra applied for a personal bond without surety to be given instead of bail as Raja Petra had other court cases pending and would turn up in court.

"Today, he was at the police headquarters at 9.58am. The investigating officer was late. He came at 10.31am. This is important enough to be mentioned."

Nazran, who ordered another recess of 15 minutes to make his decision, set bail at RM2,000 with one surety for all three charges and fixed Aug 15 for mention.

Raja Petra was freed after his wife Marina Lee Abdullah posted bail at 3.20pm.

On May 6, Raja Petra was charged under the Sedition Act 1948 for posting the article "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell" on the website www.malaysia-today.net on April 25.

The article linked the three as well as events that allegedly took place before Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu's murder.

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