Man fined for spreading false information about Starbucks’s ‘halal’ status

SEPANG: A mobile phone salesman was fined RM5,000 after he pleaded guilty to sharing false information regarding the “halal” status of Starbucks’ drinks on Facebook last year.

Sessions court judge Azrol Abdullah ordered Irwan Sidik, 34, to serve six months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.

Irwan was accused of publishing the post under the profile name “Boss Eone” at about 10pm on Dec 28, 2022.

In the post, he suggested that the coffee enterprise’s products were “haram” as they allegedly contained E471 (Emulsifier 471) mono diglycerides derived from pork, alcohol and rum.

The post was read at 3pm on Jan 3, 2023, at the headquarters of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in Cyberjaya.

 

Irwan was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988, read with Section 233(3), for making and initiating false communication with the intention to harass.

 

The section prescribes punishment of up to one year’s imprisonment or a fine not exceeding RM50,000, or both. An offender may also be liable to an additional fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.

The prosecution was conducted by MCMC prosecuting officer Mai Zairani Zainal Abidin, who asked for a deterrent punishment which would serve as a lesson not only to the accused but to society in general.

She suggested a fine of between RM2,000 and RM5,000.

Irwan, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a lower punishment as he only had RM5,000 in savings and was responsible for taking care of his mother who was ill.