KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here has granted Islamic preacher Ustaz Syafiq, also known by his registered name Mohd Rasyiq Mohd Alwi, a final chance to engage legal representation in his ongoing defamation case brought by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
The minister had initiated the lawsuit against Mohd Rasyiq in February 2022, claiming that the latter had defamed him through statements related to the Covid-19 national vaccination programme that were posted on Instagram between October 2021 and January 2022.
After today’s proceeding, Khairy’s lawyer, Jacqueline Hannah Albert, told the press that judge Datuk Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan had scheduled the next case management for July 18.
However, she said, the court might proceed to fix the case trial dates at the next case management date, regardless of whether Mohd Rasyiq has appointed a new lawyer or not.
“Either way, he has to find and appoint a new lawyer. Or else he has to appear in person (represent himself).”
She also told reporters that Mohd Rasyiq was absent from today’s proceedings.
In the lawsuit, Khairy said that Mohd Rasyiq’s statements could damage his reputation as a prominent public figure, particularly as he was health minister at the time.
He alleged that Mohd Rasyiq’s statements were intended to undermine the government’s efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic during that period.
The former Rembau MP also sought the court’s order against Mohd Rasyiq to remove the disputed defamatory statements, as well as an injunction to prevent him from republishing them.
Separately, Khairy had also filed a similar suit against Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam, over similar alleged defamatory statements in February 2022, around the time he filed the suit against Mohd Rasyiq.
However, Khairy and Lokman had settled the matter amicably outside court in April, after Lokman agreed to publicly apologise to the former health minister over his statements. – June 10, 2024