Zahid claims that Mahathir’s statements had tarnished and damaged his reputation and credibility as Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman
KUALA LUMPUR — The High Court here today fixed four days starting 6 November this year to hear Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s defamation suit against former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
The Umno president had filed the suit against Mahathir on 20 April last year over allegations that he had asked Mahathir to interfere in his ongoing criminal cases in court.
According to Bernama, lawyer Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi, representing Mahathir, said deputy registrar Nor Afidah Idris set 6 to 9 November for the trial and 14 April for case management.
“The trial will be heard by Judge Rozana Ali Yusoff at 10 am,” Bernama quoted the lawyer as saying.
Based on the statement of claim, Zahid alleged that Mahathir had issued defamatory statements with malicious intent against him at a Pejuang event at Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana, Putrajaya, on 23 February 2022.
The event was held in conjunction with the 15th Johor state election.
A video recording of the defamatory statements was republished live on the same day on Astro AWANI’s YouTube channel, which had 1.4 million subscribers and can be accessed via the Internet.
The Bagan Datok Member of Parliament said, on the day the writ of summons and statement of claim was filed, the video had garnered a total of 23,443 views.
Zahid also claimed the video recording which had gone viral through various social media platforms, had tarnished and damaged his reputation as Umno president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman.
He is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages, interest, an order to compel the defendant to publish an unconditional apology in writing in a newspaper to be determined by him (Zahid) and costs, as well as other relief deemed fit by the court.
