KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here yesterday ordered blogger Papa Gomo, whose actual name is Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, to pay RM500,000 in damages to businessman Abdul Razak Mohd Noor over a defamatory article on his blog.
Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera held that Abdul Razak managed to prove that the statements in the article dated Dec 11 last year referred to him and were indeed defamatory.
Papa Gomo was ordered to pay RM200,000 in general damages and RM300,000 in exemplary damages and the court also granted an injunction to stop him from further defaming Abdul Razak.
In his ruling, Vazeer Alam said the plaintiff Abdul Razak had proven that Wan Muhammad Azri published the article despite the defendant’s testimony denying he was the owner of the blog known as ‘Papa Gomo’.
He noted that the plaintiff’s main witness Mohd Fauzi Mohd Azmi, owner of the blog ‘Perisik Rakyat’ had identified the defendant when he introduced himself as ‘Papa Gomo’ during a blogger’s convention at Lake View Garden, Subang Jaya on May 16 2009.
Vazeer Alam said Mohd Fauzi further testified that the defendant’s name, photograph and the telephone number on his wife’s blog was the same one he used to contact the blogger known as ‘Papa Gomo’, which was left unchallenged by the defence. He added that the court found the defendant’s words in the article as baseless facts and not comments.
“The plaintiff is a well-known businessman and the defendant’s accusation that he was a liar who reaped millions of ringgit in profit during the Commonwealth Games tarnished his image in the eyes of the public,” he said.
Vazeer Alam stressed that defamatory articles were rampant on the internet and there were irresponsible parties such as the defendant who lorded over the cyber world behind pseudonyms or anonymity to write anything they wanted regardless of the consequences.
He said the court took a very serious view of this negative phenomenon which seemed to be spreading without check recently and felt that if it was not curbed would destroy the social fabric and potentially threaten national peace and security.
“Therefore, I want this ruling to be taken as a lesson to the defendant and a deterrent to all Internet users to refrain from abusing this facility,” he said.
On Jan 26 2012, Abdul Razak, 59, had filed a RM10mil defamation suit against Papa Gomo, 30, claiming that the blogger had implied he was a liar who had reaped millions of ringgit in profits through a contract at the Commonwealth Games.
Abdul Razak was represented by lawyers Reuben Netto and Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, while lawyer Jasbeer Singh appeared for Wan Muhammad Azri. — Bernama