He arrived at the circuit court in the Tenom district office at 9am accompanied by his aides.

Ebit, who was charged under Section 509 of the Penal Code, pleaded not guilty to all the charges. If convicted, the 37-year-old preacher could face up to five years in jail or a fine, or both.

Magistrate Nur Asyraf Zolhani fixed April 20 to23 for the trial. The court released Ebit after he posted bail of RM1,000 bail for each of the charges in two sureties.

Ilmami Ahmad, who appeared for the prosecution, was assisted by deputy public prosecutor Azreen Yas Mohamad Ramli while Ebit was represented by Zairi Zainal Abidin.

Police had initially investigated Ebit under Section 509 of the Penal Code, Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 and Section 23 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 following reports by several individuals alleging that the preacher had committed sexual harassment.

Ebit was called by police on Aug 19 last year to give a statement over a sexual harassment video linked to him, which he described as a “brutal slander” against him.

At a press conference at the Tenom police headquarters, Bukit Aman criminal investigation department (CID) director Abd Jalil Hassan said Ebit,  whose real name is Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew, was alleged to have sent lewd messages and pictures with the intent to outrage the modesty of a person through WhatsApp.

“All the alleged offences took place against a woman in Tenom between March and July last year,” he said.

Asked whether Ebit would face other charges, he said police were investigating another sexual harassment claim by the same woman.

“We will submit the investigation papers to the deputy public prosecutor for the next course of action after the probe is completed. We will investigate all angles including slander,” he said.

Jalil also urged the public not to make any speculation or cause any provocation on the case to ensure the legal proceedings run smoothly.

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