Mahathir Under Investigation For Spreading 'Fake News' That His Plane Was Sabotaged
The Malaysia UMNO Grassroots Movement lodged a police report against Mahathir for his allegation.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 03 May 2018, 12:42 PM
Police has revealed that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is being investigated under the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 after the Pakatan Harapan chairman claimed that the chartered plane he was to board on 27 April had been sabotaged
According to a report by Malay Mail, the pilot of the private plane that was to fly Mahathir to Langkawi for the filing of his candidacy papers discovered some damage to the aircraft before departure.
However, investigators from the Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia (CAAM) have confirmed that the issue was a "routine and technical fault" involving an air leakage at the nose wheel of the aircraft
According to Free Malaysia Today, the business jet operator that chartered the aircraft, Vista Jet, also issued a statement reiterating the CAAM findings and denied any possibility of sabotage.
In response, Mahathir said that, "The denial by the CAAM is not the result of a proper investigation, it is just a denial to say that what I’ve said is not true."
On Tuesday, 1 May, the Malaysia UMNO Grassroots Movement lodged a police report against Mahathir, saying that his allegations led to an incorrect perception of the BN coalition
"We have opened an inquiry based on a police report made against Dr Mahathir," said Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Mazlan Lazim, Malay Mail reported.
According to The Star, Mahathir responded to the police investigation by saying that, "They can charge me in court. I have no fake news. Only truth."
Malaysia is among the first few nations to legislate the policing of fake news. Under the Anti-Fake News Act 2018, offenders face a RM500,000 fine, a six year jail sentence, or both, upon conviction.
On 30 April, 46-year-old Danish citizen Salah Salem Saleh Sulaiman became the first to be convicted under the recently passed Anti-Fake News Act 2018, Free Malaysia Today reported.