KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has witnessed the amicable resolution of a defamation lawsuit between former Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and former Economy Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Rafizi Ramli.
Tuan Ibrahim initially filed the legal action on November 17, 2022, concerning statements he deemed defamatory regarding the approval of several government projects.
The disputed statements specifically addressed a flood mitigation project awarded to a particular company during Tuan Ibrahim’s ministerial tenure.
Legal representative Yusfarizal Yussoff, acting for Tuan Ibrahim, informed Judicial Commissioner Avinder Singh Gill that both parties had reached an out-of-court settlement agreement.
“The plaintiff has applied to withdraw the suit without liberty to refile and with no order as to costs,“ stated Yusfarizal during the court proceedings.
Azhar Arman Ali, representing Mohd Rafizi, confirmed the settlement terms and the mutual agreement between the two political figures.
Judicial Commissioner Avinder Singh Gill subsequently struck out the lawsuit and vacated all previously scheduled trial dates in light of the resolution.
The settlement concludes the legal dispute that began nearly two years ago without proceeding to a full trial.
“The court expresses its appreciation for the serious efforts made by both parties to reach an amicable settlement out of court,” said Avinder.
The court had previously fixed Sept 8 to 12 for the hearing of the case.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued by Mohd Rafizi and Tuan Ibrahim today, it was stated that Mohd Rafizi had agreed to remove all social media posts under his control related to the matter to prevent the issue from being prolonged and to avoid any misinterpretation by the public.
“Given that the issue of Tuan Ibrahim’s alleged involvement in the award of the Sungai Langat 2 flood mitigation project worth RM2 billion to Mangkubumi Sdn Bhd was not the main focus of Mohd Rafizi’s earlier media statements, the matter no longer arises between the parties.
“Tuan Ibrahim has agreed to withdraw this civil suit,” read the statement.
According to the statement, both parties also agreed that, in the spirit of amicable settlement, any disagreements or misunderstandings that had arisen should be set aside for the sake of public interest, social harmony, and political stability in the country.
Both politicians, who were present in court today, were also seen shaking hands before leaving the courtroom.
In his statement of claim, Tuan Ibrahim alleged that Rafizi made defamatory statements against him at two press conferences at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya, which were streamed live on the defendant’s YouTube account, on Nov 7 and 9, 2022.
He claimed that the statements implied that he was involved in approving a project worth RM2 billion to a company for the Sungai Langat Flood Mitigation Plan, as well as a sewage treatment plant and sewerage pipe network project in Kinta and Petaling Jaya, totalling more than RM2.3 billion.
He was also accused of secretly conspiring with the then Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in the awarding of projects under the Jana Wibawa Programme. – Bernama
