ID :
493603
Mon, 05/28/2018 - 07:52
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Najib Withdraws Suit Against Tony Pua, Chan Over 1MDB Issue

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (Bernama) – Former Prime Minister Najib Razak Monday withdrew his defamation suit against former Petaling Jaya Utara MP, Tony Pua Kiam Wee and Mediarakyat.net portal owner, Chan Chee Kong over the issue of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun who represented Najib told reporters that his client had instructed him to withdraw the suit and Najib had agreed to drop the legal action on undisclosed terms. "The lawyers for the defendants also agreed with our withdrawal application with no liberty to file afresh,” he said after meeting High Court Judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim in the chambers when the case came up for mention. Mohd Hafarizam also said the judge allowed the application to withdraw the suit and then struck out the legal action. Lawyer Michelle Ng who represented Pua, who is currently Damansara MP and Shahid Adli Kamarudin who acted for Chan confirmed the matter. Initially the High Court has set Sept 18 to 20 to hear the suit. Najib, in his personal capacity, had filed the defamation suit on March 5, 2015 naming Pua as the first defendant and Chan as the second defendant, over the 1MDB issue. In his statement of claim, Najib as the plaintiff stated that on Nov 13, 2014, Pua, as the main speaker at a DAP fund-raising dinner, had made libellous remarks on 1MDB. Najib said a recording of the speech was uploaded by Chan himself and/or his agents on the Mediarakyat YouTube and Mediarakyat website under what he claimed was a libellous heading. He said the recorded speech contained words that referred to and related to him and defamed him and the individual known as the 'prime minister' must have referred specifically to him (Najib). Najib contended that the publication of the defamatory words had damaged his reputation as the recording of the speech could be assessed widely and easily throughout the world via the Internet, blogs, forums and websites without any restriction and could be reshared. This is the second withdrawal by Najib, after he had on May 22, this year withdrew his suit against former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik over the publication of an article in a news portal which alleged the former prime minister abused funds belonging to 1MDB. -- BERNAMA

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