KUALA LUMPUR – The Federal Court has rejected the bid by former attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali to challenge the dismissal of his RM10 million defamation suit against DAP’s Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
The three-person bench chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat delivered a unanimous decision, including awarding Lim RM30,000 in cost.
Lim was represented by Sangeet Kaur Deo, while lawyers Rueben Mathiavaranam and Liew Teck Huat appeared for Apandi.
On November 2 last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Apandi’s bid to challenge the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision to strike out his defamation suit against Lim.
The bench, comprised of Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail, Datuk M. Gunalan, and Datuk Azmi Ariffin upheld the high court’s decision to strike out the suit and the RM100,000 award to Lim.
On May 23 last year, the high court dismissed Apandi’s suit against the DAP veteran and the former AG subsequently filed the appeal to the Court of Appeal on May 24 last year.
Apandi sued Lim for allegedly defaming him in an article on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal.
In his suit filed on July 5, 2019, Apandi claimed that on May 6, 2019, Lim had written and caused to be published an article titled “Dangerous fallacy to think Malaysia’s on the road to integrity” in Malaysiakini.
He claimed the alleged libellous words in the article implied that he was involved in crime and had abetted in the 1MDB financial scandal, was a person with no moral and integrity, was unethical and had abused his power when he was the AG.
Apandi, who was the AG from July 27, 2015, to June 4, 2018, contended that the libellous words were untrue and written with the intention of tarnishing his image and credibility as a former Malaysian AG, for cheap publicity.
He sought aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as RM10 million in general damages, an injunction to prevent Lim and/or his agents from publishing the alleged defamatory words again and other relief deemed fit by the court. – May 14, 2024