SEPANG — A 48-year-old diver and single father, Ruslan Mat Ali, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court today to 11 charges of posting obscene and offensive comments about Nurul Izzah Anwar on Facebook earlier this year.

He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for allegedly posting the remarks between January 21 and February 25. If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail, a RM50,000 fine, or both.

The first post was accessed on February 4, and the remaining ten on February 26, all traced by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in Cyberjaya.

Prosecutors requested RM15,000 bail, but Ruslan, who is unrepresented, pleaded for a lower amount, citing financial hardship and responsibility for three children.

The judge set bail at RM10,000 and fixed the next mention for July 18. Ruslan has been remanded after failing to post bail.