KUALA TERENGGANU – The high court here today set May 7 for the case management of Clare Rewcastle-Brown, founder and editor of Sarawak Report, in her appeal to overturn her conviction and two-year prison sentence for defaming the Sultanah of Terengganu, Sultanah Nur Zahirah.
High court deputy registrar Nordiana Abd Aziz set the date for the case’s mention today.
Lawyer Guok Ngek Seong, representing Rewcastle-Brown, said he would apply to the court for the appeal proceedings to be conducted in absentia (without the presence of the accused) on the grounds that his client, who is a British citizen, is not in Malaysia.
Previously, the case was tried in the magistrates’ court without the accused present.
On February 7, Rewcastle-Brown was sentenced to two years in prison by the magistrates’ court here after finding her guilty of defaming Sultanah Nur Zahirah under Section 500 of the Penal Code.
According to the charges, Rewcastle-Brown, who has a London address, wrote a book titled The Sarawak Report: The Inside Story of 1MDB Expose, which contains accusations against the Sultanah of Terengganu.
The specific defamatory content, highlighted on page three, paragraph four, and line seven, was the phrase “the wife of the Sultan”, which was deemed a deliberate act aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Sultanah Nur Zahirah.
She was charged with committing the offence at 8am on September 14, 2018, at Lot 60048, Taman Chendering Utama here. – March 12, 2024