KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 16): Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has applied to transfer his trial for the allegedly seditious remarks he made against the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and the Sultan of Selangor from the Sessions Court in Selayang to the High Court in Shah Alam.

Based on the notice of motion filed at the Shah Alam High Court on Monday, Sanusi's lawyers requested for the transfer of the charges because they expect difficult questions of law to emerge during the trial, for which the High Court is better equipped to deal with compared to the lower courts.

They also said the alleged seditious remarks were against the Sultan of Selangor and the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, hence they felt it is only fit for the High Court to deal with these issues rather than the lower courts.

Sanusi’s trial was slated to begin on Thursday in Selayang. Sanusi, however, has been allowed to adjourn the date as he would be overseas attending to official duties.

Judge Nor Rajiah Mat Zin had set 12 dates in January and February to hear the case. Other than Jan 18, the other trial dates were: Jan 19, Feb 5-9, Feb 12-13, Feb 15-16, and Feb 19, 22 and 23.

On July 18 this year, Sanusi was charged with two counts of sedition under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 for the statements he had made.

Both charges accused him of uttering words that had a tendency to incite disloyalty against a ruler.

He was charged in two separate courts in Selayang — one before Nor Rajiah and another before Sessions Court judge Osman Affendi Mohd Shalleh.

For the first charge, Sanusi allegedly belittled the Sultan of Selangor for having appointed Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari as the state’s MB, saying the Kedah sultanate would not have appointed him (Amirudin) as MB. Sanusi also alleged that the Kedah ruler’s lineage was the only one that was uninterrupted.

Under the second charge, Sanusi is alleged to have questioned the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s move to have a unity government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Sanusi can be fined up to RM5,000 or jailed up to three years or both, if found guilty.