The prosecution has dropped its appeal against dance coach Bilqis Hijjas

Prosecution drops appeal against woman acquitted in balloon incident



Wednesday, 15 Aug 201812:19 PM MYT






KUALA LUMPUR: The prosecution has dropped its appeal against dance coach Bilqis Hijjas, who released balloons deemed insulting at an event in 2015 attended by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

The High Court's Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali made the decision on Wednesday (Aug 15) after the prosecution told the court that it would not proceed with its second appeal against her acquittal.


When met outside the courtroom, Bilqis said she was relieved with the decision.


"I am extremely happy to be free in this Merdeka month and I'm hoping for the same for people who have similar charges levelled against them," she said.




Najib and his wife were attending the DiverseCity 2015 Kuala Lumpur International Arts Festival on the ground floor of the mall.

The balloons had words "democracy", "free media" and "justice" written on them.

She was charged under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for behaving in an insulting manner with the purpose of stirring anger, which would likely cause a disturbance.

The offence carries a fine of not more than RM100 upon conviction.

DPP Nur Hafizah Rajuni appeared for the prosecution while Bilqis was represented by lawyer Eric Paulsen.

Bilqis was originally charged with the offence on Sept 23, 2015 but was freed by the magistrate's court on July 1, 2016.

However, the prosecution appealed the decision and the High Court ordered her to enter her defence on Oct 3, 2017.

The court acquitted and discharged Bilqis of the charges on Nov 27, 2017, but the prosecution appealed the decision again on Dec 4, 2017.

On July 10, 2018, Bilqis wrote to Attorney General Tommy Thomas, asking the prosecution to discontinue the second appeal against her acquittal.