KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday fixed Jan 30 for case management of the lawsuit filed by Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah, against founder and editor of Sarawak Report, Clare Rewcastle-Brown and two others over defamatory statements in the book The Sarawak Report – The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose’.
Lawyer Vishu Kumar, representing Sultanah Nur Zahirah when met by reporters, said the date was set by Justice Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim when the case came up for mention in chambers today.
Vishu, who also mentioned on behalf of lawyer representing Clare said, the court also instructed both parties to file the relevant documents before the date of the case management.
The lawyer also informed that the defendants had filed their defence statement on Dec 5 last year.
Sultanah Nur Zahirah, as the plaintiff filed the suit on Nov 2,1 naming Clare or her real name Clare Louis Brown, Gerakbudaya Enterprise publisher Chong Ton Sin and printing company Vinlin Press Sdn Bhd as the first to third defendants.
Based on the writ of summons and statement of claim, Sultanah Nur Zahirah claimed that Clare issued the statements in the book titled ‘The Sarawak Report-The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose’ around August and the book was printed by Vinlin.
Sultanah Nur Zahirah claimed that the defamatory statements meant that the plaintiff was involved in corrupt practices, had interfered in the administration of the Terengganu state and had used her role to influence the establishment of the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) as well as to assist Jho Low or his real name Low Taek Jho, to obtain an advisory role in TIA.
She claimed that the statements were defamatory because the plaintiff was never involved in the affairs of the state and the establishment of TIA.
She also contended that the statements were embarrassing and had undermined the plaintiff’s reputation.
Sultanah Nur Zahirah said that it was public knowledge that 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was previously known as TIA.
As such the plaintiff is seeking general damages of RM100 million from each defendant, seeking the second defendant to withdraw the book containing the defamatory statements and for the third defendant to stop printing the book further.
In their defence statements, the three defendants denied making the statements that the plaintiff was involved in corrupt practices.
Clare also claimed that the Sarawak Report had never suggested that the plaintiff was involved in the conspiracy involving Jho Low or that the plaintiff had interfered in government administration relating to the 1MDB affairs. — Bernama