KUALA LUMPUR: The defamation suit filed by former Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister, Yeo Bee Yin against Sungai Besar UMNO division chief, Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos (pix) in connection with the Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas) fund, will proceed with full trial at the High Court here.
This is following judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusofâs decision of dismissing Jamalâs application to stay the court proceeding pending his appeal against the courtâs dismissal of his application to strike the defamation suit.
Yeoâs counsel, Datuk Sankara N. Nair said judge Rozana who delivered the decision in chambers today also ordered Jamal to pay RM1,000 in costs to his client.
âFollowing the dismissal of the stay application today, the case will therefore proceed for full trial in the High Court on March 2 and 4 and April 12 to 13,â he said in a statement.
Jamal was represented by lawyers, V. Mugunthan and Mohammad Nasser Yusof.
On Aug 7 last year, judge Rozana dismissed Jamalâs application to strike out the suit and ordered him to pay RM2,000 in costs.
Jamal filed the application to strike out the suit in June last year, on grounds that it was premature as the investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was still going on.
Yeo filed the suit on June 14, 2017, seeking RM5 million in compensation from Jamal for his defamatory statement over the alleged abuse of the Yawas fund.
In the statement of claim, Yeo, who is also Bakri MP, claimed that Jamal had issued a defamatory statement on March 21, 2017, and that the statement was also published by several newspapers, news portals and on Jamalâs Facebook account.
Yeo claimed that Jamalâs statement, among others, gave the impression that she had abused public funds for personal use and painted her as an unethical and unreliable person.
Apart from RM5 million in general damages, Yeo is also seeking compensatory, aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent Jamal from repeating the allegations. â Bernama
