KUALA LUMPUR – Former Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad has reached a settlement in his defamation suit against former Free Malaysia Today (FMT) editor-in-chief Abdar Rahman Koya, after the latter admitted to inaccuracies in a news report published in 2020.
The resolution was formalised through a joint statement by both parties and affirmed by the court. In the statement, Rahman conceded that the article in question did not accurately reflect the tone or intent of Khalid’s remarks.
“The defendant (Rahman) expresses regret for the distress, inconvenience and damage to reputation caused by the publication of the article dated February 26, 2020,” read the statement.
High Court Judge Alice Loke Yee Ching recorded the mutual agreement, with no order as to costs.
The article, titled “Khalid presses on, tells Dr M to make way for Anwar”, was published by FMT during Rahman’s tenure as editor-in-chief. It was based on a tweet posted by Khalid at the time.
Following the report’s publication, Khalid issued a legal notice through his lawyer, Sankara Nair, asserting that the article was inaccurate and misleading.
FMT subsequently agreed to retract the article and issued an apology to Khalid. However, the manner in which the retraction was published raised concerns, as it was not prominently displayed on FMT’s homepage or social media platforms—only a direct link to the retraction was provided to Khalid’s legal team.
As a result, Khalid proceeded to file a lawsuit against Rahman in his capacity as both editor and author, as well as against FMT. He later withdrew the suit against FMT after receiving further clarification but maintained legal action against Rahman.
The joint statement further noted that Khalid had agreed not to seek costs, including legal fees, from Rahman.
“This action is done out of respect for his father, Haji Koya Kutty, whom I knew and respected,” Khalid said.
“Haji Koya, founder of The Other Press, was a publisher of Islamic books and magazines whom I greatly admired. His work contributed significantly to the understanding of the Islamic struggle and thought that I have aspired to embrace since my youth,” he added, citing his fondness for the publication Readings in Islam. – June 30, 2025.