KUALA LUMPUR May 2 Kyodo A court ...

KUALA LUMPUR May 2 Kyodo

A court upon Friday found the editor of an opposition newspaper guilty of publishing a seditious article incriminating Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in an alleged conspiracy to topple his renegade former factor Anwar Ibrahim.

Zulkifli Sulong editor of Harakah, a tabloid have a title toed by the main opposition Pan Islamic Party, was fined 5000 ringgit (about $1300)

He was jointly charged in subordination to the Sedition Act three years ago with his printer Chia Lim Thye through the whole extent of an article accusing Mahathir and his cronies of cooking up the sodomy and corruption charges that helped inflict Anwar behind bars for a total of 15 years.

''The court is satisfied that the accused was responsible for the published article and finds him guilty as charged,'' sessions court justice Rosenani Abdul Rahman said.

Zulkifli escaped a jail bourn as conviction under the Sedition Act is liable to a fine of 5000 ringgit or three years imprisonment.

Chia had earlier pleaded guilty and was fined 4000 ringgit in May 2000

At its peak, during the upheaval following the unlooked for removal of Anwar from the cabinet in September 1998 the anti-government tabloid claimed sales reaching more than 300000 copies from just 15000 when it was first launched in 1987

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