Kosmo! reported that 28-year-old housewife Norjannah Rusli pleaded guilty after the charges were read to her before Judge Musyiri Peet.

According to the charge sheet, the mother of two was accused of uploading the fake news on WhatsApp on her phone with the intention of causing fear or concern among the community.

Norjannah was charged with committing the offence on April 18 at Kampung Belukar in Arau.

Musyiri sentenced her to a RM5,000 fine or a five-month prison term if she failed to settle the amount. Norjannah paid the fine.

She is the second person in the country to be charged under the emergency ordinance for publishing fake news, following a case this morning involving a tuition teacher from Johor.

Mohd Nazaruddin Yusoff, 50, was charged at the sessions court in Johor Bahru today for posting false news via Facebook.

He claimed trial and was released on a RM8,000 bail. Sessions court Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman fixed mention on July 7.

According to the charge, Nazaruddin claimed that a traffic policeman died after receiving his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, posting on Facebook: “Mati lagi … di Pontian, Vaksin kedua.”

The post was accompanied by a photo of three cops attending to the policeman, with a policewoman also standing beside them. However, a post-mortem report later stated that the policeman died of a heart attack.

The Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 defines “fake news” as news or information that “is or are, wholly or partly false relating to Covid-19 or the proclamation of emergency”.

Those who create, publish or distribute fake news will face a fine of up to RM100,000, a jail term of up to three years, or both. It came into effect on March 11.