SHAH ALAM (Feb 29): Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Sanusi Mohd Nor will file representation to the attorney general (AG) in a bid to have his sedition charges dropped.

During case management on Thursday, Sanusi's lawyer Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud informed the High Court that a letter of representation will be sent to the AG soon.

Earlier, the two sedition charges against Sanusi were re-read before High Court judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin, following the case's transfer from the Selayang Sessions Court on Feb 1.

Sanusi claimed trial after pleading not guilty to both charges before the High Court.

Sanusi has been charged with two counts of sedition under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 for allegedly uttering words that had a tendency to incite disloyalty against a ruler, in relation to remarks he had made about the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and Sultan of Selangor.

The charges are punishable under Section 4(1) of the same Act which provides a maximum fine of up to RM5,000, or imprisonment for up to three years, or both, if convicted.

Awang Armadajaya then requested for a period of four months before trial dates are set, as he is seeking to obtain a decision from the AG with regards to Sanusi’s representation bid. He said this was important as he wants to send some supporting documents to the AG.

However, deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob objected to this, telling Aslam that four months was too long a wait, and requested that trial dates be set while the AG mulls over the letter of representation.

Aslam then set 10 days for trial to run on July 22, 23, 26, 29, 30 and Aug 5, 6, 9, 12, 13 this year.

Malik said that the prosecution would be calling 10 witnesses to testify in the trial.

Sanusi’s bail of RM10,000 for both charges imposed by the Sessions Court remain.

For the first charge, Sanusi allegedly belittled the sultan of Selangor for having appointed Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari as the state’s MB, saying that the Kedah sultanate would not have appointed him (Amirudin) as MB. Sanusi also alleged that the Kedah ruler’s lineage was the only one that was uninterrupted.

Under the second charge, Sanusi was alleged to have questioned the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s move to have a unity government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.