GEORGE TOWN – Former Penang deputy chief minister P. Ramasamy has withdrawn his defamation lawsuit against Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow over remarks linked to the controversial land sale in Byram, Seberang Perai Selatan.
The consent judgment was recorded before Sessions Court judge Helmi Ghani, with Ramasamy agreeing to accept Chow’s clarification that he had chaired two key Penang Development Corporation (PDC) meetings — a sub-committee meeting on November 28, 2022, and a board meeting on February 9, 2023.
The meetings were held in relation to the sale of state land by PDC to Umech Land Sdn Bhd. Ramasamy has agreed to withdraw his suit without liberty to file afresh.
In a separate development, PDC has also agreed to drop its own defamation suit against Ramasamy.
As part of the settlement, Ramasamy consented to retract statements and publications made about the state agency. Both parties have agreed to end the suits with no order as to costs.
Ramasamy was represented by lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind, while Ruebankumar Asokan appeared for Chow.
Ramasamy, who served under Chow between 2018 and 2023, filed the lawsuit on July 29 last year, claiming that Chow had made defamatory statements in a Facebook post which, he alleged, severely damaged his reputation.
Chow’s post reportedly implied that due diligence had been carried out and approvals were obtained from a committee, including Ramasamy, for a joint venture project involving Umech Land.
However, Ramasamy disputed the claim, stating: “No due diligence was conducted by the said committee” and that he had not approved the project. He further asserted that the meeting cited in Chow’s post had in fact been chaired by Chow and involved Umech Construction Sdn Bhd, not Umech Land. – July 18, 2025