KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin will file an application to the High Court here to amend his statement of defence in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s defamation suit against him.
Anwar’s lawyer J Leela told reporters when met yesterday said that the defendant had informed the court that he wanted to insert the plaintiff’s second conviction for sodomy, in his statement of defence.
The case was brought for mention in chambers yesterday before Judicial Commissioner S Nantha Balan; Khairy was represented by counsel Sarah Abishegam.
Anwar is currently serving five years at Sungai Buloh Prison after the Federal Court on Feb 10 found him guilty of sodomising his personal assistant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on June 26, 2008.
Leela said she would object to Khairy, who is also Rembau member of parliament’s application.
The lawyer said the court had set Aug 14 and Aug 21 for trial after the earlier dates, May 7 and May 8 were vacated; May 28 has also been set for case management.
The Federal Court on April 6 allowed Khairy’s appeal to insert the federal court’s findings in Anwar’s first sodomy case on Sept 2, 2004.
On March 7, 2008, Anwar filed a defamation suit seeking RM100 million damages against Khairy.
The plaintiff alleged that the Pemuda Umno vice chief had slandered him in a ceramah (talk) at Lembah Pantai on or around Feb 20, 2008.
The plaintiff alleged that defamatory words uttered by the defendant were carried in a video clip, ‘Anwar and kin no threat’ which was circulated in the websites including Malaysiakini.com.
Khairy in his statement of defence filed on Oct 8, 2010, cited justification and qualified privilege as his grounds.
On Oct 9, 2013, the High Court rejected Khairy’s application to amend his statement of defence.
The Court of Appeal on Aug 20, 2014 also rejected the defendant’s appeal but on Oct 20, 2014, the Federal Court granted him leave to appeal. — Bernama