KUALA LUMPUR— Seputeh MP Teresa Kok today issued a stern warning to Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos, urging him to immediately cease what she described as “political theatrics” that belittle the judiciary and undermine the integrity of the courts.
The DAP politician said Jamal’s attempt to sensationalise the payment of court-ordered costs — including through the recent auction of a used towel and a single slipper — amounted to an excessive provocation that mocked the legal process.
“What is most regrettable is the crude and immoral manner in which Datuk Jamal continues to act, including his attempt to trivialise and make light of sums ordered by the court,” she said in a statement today.
“Turning compliance with a court judgment into a joke is not only insulting, but it also reflects a blatant disregard for basic decency and the judicial process.”
Her remarks followed reports that Jamal had raised RM66,000 through a private auction of personal items to settle outstanding legal costs arising from his defeat in a defamation suit filed by Kok in 2017 over allegations involving the Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas) fund.
Although Jamal described the auction as a “sincere” effort to repay his debt, Kok said the move formed part of a continued pattern of personal attacks that lowered the standard of political discourse.
“This is not legitimate criticism. It is a deliberate provocation and a personal attack employing degrading and irresponsible language,” she said.
She also reminded Jamal that a High Court injunction remains in force, warning that any attempt to recycle old defamatory claims or challenge the authority of the court’s decision could invite more serious legal consequences.
“A court order is not something to be ignored, and no one is above the law,” she said.
“If these defamatory statements persist, and if there is any further breach of the High Court injunction, I will have no choice but to instruct my lawyers to take the appropriate legal action.
“This includes contempt of court proceedings to uphold the authority of the judiciary and to protect my reputation and integrity.”
Kok said she had thus far chosen to exercise restraint and refrain from responding to every provocation, as she did not wish Malaysians to be continually fed unconstructive political controversy.
However, she described Jamal’s latest actions — which she said appeared to reopen matters already determined by the Federal Court in July 2024 — as crossing the line.
“I sincerely hope he will reflect, cease defamatory insinuations, and act responsibly in future,” she added.
Teresa won the defamation suit in 2022 after the High Court ordered Jamal to pay RM300,000 in damages and legal costs, finding that his allegations that she had misused Yawas funds were baseless and made with malice.
Jamal appealed against the High Court’s decision, but the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal in 2024 and ordered him to pay RM50,000 in costs.
On March 29, 2023, a separate Court of Appeal panel allowed Jamal to defer payment of the RM300,000 in damages, but directed him to deposit the sum with Kok’s solicitors pending the outcome of his application at the Federal Court.
On July 30, 2024, the Federal Court rejected Jamal’s application for leave to appeal, ruling that it did not meet the statutory threshold under Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.
On Jan 28 this year, the court seized 14 of Jamal’s items to recover RM66,061.85 in outstanding legal costs payable to Kok. – February 12, 2026