A 56-year-old man is the first to be charged under the Cybercrime Act of 2021 for allegedly using a fake account to post defamatory comments.

The Acting Assistant Commissioner of Crime, ACP Mesake Waqa, says the accused, Kishore Kumar, was charged with one count of unauthorized access acts in relation to computer data, contrary to Section 7 of the Cybercrime Act No. 3 of 2021.

He is also charged with one count of criminal intimidation, contrary to Section 375 (1)(b)(ii)(iv) of the Crime Act 2009, and was produced at the Suva Magistrates Court yesterday.

ACP Waqa says Kumar is alleged to have used a fake account to post defamatory comments against a senior member of the government, which was also in breach of his bail condition.

Kumar was produced at the Suva Magistrates Court yesterday and bailed with strict conditions, and his case has been adjourned till the 10th of January next year.