PETALING JAYA: The High Court in Georgetown ruled today that statements by Kepala Batas MP Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad linking DAP leaders to communists were defamatory and unsupported by evidence.
According to Harian Metro, Judicial Commissioner Datuk Quay Chew Soon, in a comprehensive judgment, concluded that Siti Mastura acted with malice and her defense of fair comment was not valid.
The court ordered Siti Mastura to pay damages to the three DAP leaders: RM300,000 to Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, RM240,000 to Lim Guan Eng, and RM200,000 to Teresa Kok. Additionally, she was required to pay RM25,000 in costs for each plaintiff.
The defamation suit originated from Siti Mastura’s speech at the Kemaman by-election Muslimat and Ameerah Gathering on November 4 last year.
The plaintiffs argued that the Perikatan Nasional MP falsely claimed they were connected to the Communist Party, its leader Chin Peng, and the late Lee Kuan Yew, accusing them of spreading communist ideology.
The court’s ruling definitively rejected these allegations, finding them to be without substantive basis.
