Judge Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin delivered the ruling after the prosecution told the court that the arrest warrants issued for the three accused could not be executed, Bernama reported.
In October, arrest warrants were issued to Hasli Ikhwan Arif Zul Hasli, 32, and his two female friends, Norhidayah Mahadi, 24, and Norshazrina Zamri, 27, after they failed to appear in court.
Shakirah said the prosecution had made three attempts to locate the accused, but the arrest warrants remained unexecuted.
“The court also noted that none of the sureties appeared in court or provided any explanation for the absence of the accused up until today,” she was quoted as saying.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nidzuwan Abd Latip requested an extension of the arrest warrant period to allow police to confirm whether the accused were still in Malaysia or had left the country.
“Notices were served to the sureties, but they never appeared to explain the absence of the accused,” he said.
Hasli Ikhwan and the two women were charged under Section 372(1)(e) of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, for advertising prostitution services under the handle @HOTDADDYYXX on the X social media platform.
The advertisement came to the attention of the anti-vice, gambling and secret societies division (D7) office in Bukit Aman at 10.10am on Jan 16 this year.
The charge provides for imprisonment of up to 15 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
Hasli Ikhwan and Norhidayah were also charged with possessing obscene material under Section 5(1)(a) of the Film Censorship Act 2002, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a RM50,000 fine, or both. - FMT
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