KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday extended the interim injunction order granted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak against Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua Kiam Wee from continuing to slander him in a video clip uploaded on Facebook.
Counsel Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun who represented Najib told reporters after the case was mentioned in the chambers of Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab yesterday which was also attended by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo who represented Pua.
Mohd Hafarizam said the interim injunction was extended until an inter-parte injunction application was decided by the court on July 4.
He said at the proceedings yesterday, the parties involved changed their written arguments on the inter-parte injunction application and if there were counter arguments, they had to be filed on or before June 29.
On April 21, Judge Abu Bakar Jais allowed Najib’s application for an ex-parte injunction order to restrain Pua as the defendant from publishing similar or same words as found in the defendant’s statement.
Najib applied for the ex-parte injunction based on fears the slanderous statement could affect him in his capacity as Prime Minister and Finance Minister as well as a leader of a political party.
On April 21, Najib filed a suit in his personal capacity against Pua for the slanderous allegations he made in a live video clip on the tabling of a Private Member’s Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or RUU355.
In his statement of claim, Najib as the plaintiff accused Pua of making the statement at Parliament House on April 6 which was recorded and uploaded by the defendant or his agents on his official Facebook site.
The plaintiff also alleged the that the video clip lasting two minutes and 21 seconds titled ‘BN Govt abandons all Bills to give precedence to PAS RUU355 Private Member’s Bill’, could be accessed widely and easily on the Internet.
Najib also claimed the live video contained words referring specifically to him and carried the meaning that he abused his power by giving an order through the Cabinet to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to give way to the member from Marang to propose his private bill and set aside other bills.
Najib is also seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to restrain the defendant or his agents in whatever ways from further producing the slanders against him and applied for an order for Pua to withdraw the live video clip from his Facebook site immediately. — Bernama