Wake Up Singapore founder and contributor to plead guilty over defaming KKH in false miscarriage story
The founder of the alternative news site is set to plead guilty along with the woman who submitted the false miscarriage story.
Wake Up Singapore founder and administrator Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar (left) and his lawyer Gino Hardial Singh at the State Courts on Apr 24, 2024. (Photo: TODAY/Nuria Ling)
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SINGAPORE: A woman accused of defaming KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) by submitting a fabricated account of a miscarriage at the hospital is set to plead guilty, along with the founder of the platform Wake Up Singapore, which carried the story.
Ma Su Nandar Htwe, a 28-year-old Singapore permanent resident from Myanmar, is set to plead guilty on Aug 26.
She is slated to do so with founder and administrator of alternative news site Wake Up Singapore, 27-year-old Singaporean Ariffin Iskandar Sha Ali Akbar.
The pair face one charge each of criminal defamation. The woman is accused of defaming the hospital on Mar 21, 2022, by messaging Wake Up Singapore's Instagram account.
In the messages, she detailed an allegedly fabricated account of how she suffered a miscarriage at KKH in February 2022, intending that the account be published and harm the reputation of the hospital.
Ariffin is accused of defaming the hospital by publishing the account in a story titled: "The baby is probably dead" - Women (sic) shares a harrowing account of her miscarriage at KKH A&E.
Ariffin, who is represented by lawyer Gino Hardial Singh, was given the plead-guilty date on Wednesday (Jul 3) at a further mention of his case.
His co-accused, who is represented by Ms Jacintha Gopal and Mr Mohamed Hashim H Sirajudeen, had indicated that she would be pleading guilty a day earlier.
The hospital lodged a police report two days after the article was published.
After Ma Su Nandar Htwe admitted to lying following scrutiny of the false story, Wake Up Singapore apologised publicly for publishing her claims, saying it had realised that the woman's call logs, invoices and correspondence "may have all been doctored".
It was also issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) in March 2022.
At the time, the Health Ministry said KKH had identified the patient and found that she did not suffer any miscarriage.
The penalties for criminal defamation are a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both.
