PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has scheduled a hearing for May 14 regarding former attorney general (AG) Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali’s request for permission to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision to dismiss his RM10 million defamation lawsuit against DAP veteran Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang. His lawyer, M. Visvanathan, confirmed the hearing date on Monday, April 8, according to Bernama.
Apandi submitted the application on December 1 last year after his appeal was rejected by the Court of Appeal on November 2, 2023. He is seeking the Federal Court’s input on five legal queries.
The initial lawsuit filed by Apandi against the DAP veteran, related to an article concerning the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (IMDB) scandal, was dismissed by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on May 23, 2022.
In his 2019 lawsuit, Mohamad Apandi alleged that Lim authored and published an article called “Dangerous fallacy to think Malaysia’s on the road to integrity” on Malaysiakini on May 6, 2019. He claimed that the defamatory remarks in the article suggested his involvement in criminal activities, particularly in the 1MDB scandal, and portrayed him as lacking morals, integrity, and ethics while misusing his authority as AG.
Apandi, who served as AG from July 27, 2015, to June 4, 2018, argued that the defamatory statements were untrue and intended to harm his reputation as a former Malaysian AG for personal gain.
He sought punitive and exemplary damages, in addition to RM10 million in general compensation, an injunction against Lim and/or his representatives from repeating the alleged defamatory comments, and any other appropriate remedies as determined by the court.
High Court Judge Azimah Omar (now a Court of Appeal judge) dismissed Apandi’s lawsuit, ruling that Lim was justified in invoking qualified privileges when making those comments due to the criminal nature of the 1MDB scandal and its impact on the country’s economy and political integrity. Bernama reported.
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