KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here yesterday was told that opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s reputation was not jeopardised by Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s statements during a political speech in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, six years ago.
Khairy’s lawyer, Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said Anwar’s reputation had already been tarnished by the abuse of power charges brought against him in all levels of court and sodomy charges he faced earlier.
Hence, Muhammad Shafee said his client will depend on these cases in the RM100 million defamation suit filed by Anwar against Khairy on September 2007.
He was responding to High Court Judge Datuk Su Geok Yiam’s question as to whether those cases were relevant in this hearing.
Anwar claimed that Khairy, as Umno Youth deputy chief at the time, had uttered defamatory statements about him at a political event in Kuala Kangsar on August 2007, which was later published in print and electronic media on Aug 3 of the same year.
Meanwhile, in response to Muhammad Shafee’s cross-examination, Anwar said the statement implicitly portrayed him (Anwar) as never having fought for the political interest of the Malays in the country.
The hearing resumes today. — Bernama