KUALA LUMPUR: The defamation suit by Habibul Rahman Kadir Shah against Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been settled after the Muar member of parliament made a public apology to the former adviser to Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the Sessions Court here today.
Syed Saddiq, 31, in reading his apology before Judge Norakhmar Mohd Sani, sincerely and unconditionally apologised to Habibul Rahman, 68, the plaintiff, for making defamatory statements during a press conference at the Seri Pacific Hotel on Oct 2, 2017.
“At the press conference, I referred to threats made against me and my family ahead of the 14th General Election, and I stressed that those threats were real.
“However, after receiving additional information, I now realise that when I made those defamatory statements, I was misled by certain parties into believing that my experiences at that time were caused by Habibul Rahman,” he said.
As the defendant, Syed Saddiq expressed regret and apologised for his defamatory remarks, acknowledging the difficulties they had caused the plaintiff.
“I admit that my statements tarnished his reputation and damaged the image of a respected individual who once served as an adviser to the sixth Prime Minister (Najib), held multiple directorships in government-linked companies, founded HKS Consultants Sdn Bhd, was a corporate strategist, and also a lecturer,” he said.
He also acknowledged that his defamatory statements were based on misleading information provided to him, but now he knows that the information was false.
“I sincerely and unconditionally apologise to Habibul Rahman, hoping that this apology will help restore his reputation and mend the professional and personal relationship between me and Habibul Rahman.
“I promise never to repeat the defamatory or offensive statements or anything similar against Habibul Rahman in the future,“ Syed Saddiq said while reading the apology before Habibul Rahman, who was present in the witness stand.
The court then recorded the consent judgment based on the defendant’s apology and the terms of settlement, cancelling the trial date scheduled for tomorrow. Previously, the court had set four days, starting from Tuesday (Oct 1), for the trial.
Earlier, Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos, representing Habibul Rahman, informed the court that both parties had reached an amicable agreement to settle the defamation suit, with the defendant making an apology in open court.
This was confirmed by lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, representing Syed Saddiq.
On Nov 16, 2021, Habibul Rahman filed a lawsuit against Syed Saddiq for allegedly making slanderous remarks against the plaintiff at a press conference attended by media practitioners from various news organisations.
The plaintiff claimed that the defamatory statements implied he had orchestrated, threatened and personally attacked leaders of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), including Syed Saddiq, who was then the Bersatu youth wing (ARMADA) chief.
Speaking to reporters after the proceedings, Habibul Rahman expressed gratitude to his legal team for handling the case well, adding that the truth had finally prevailed.
Syed Saddiq, on his part, thanked the plaintiff for accepting his apology.
