Court to decide Uggah’s defamation suit against Vernon tomorrow (Video)

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KUCHING: The High Court will deliver its decision on the defamation suit by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas against the then PKR Sarawak Publicity Chief Vernon Kedit tomorrow.

This was after lawyers representing both parties failed to reach a mutual agreement on the damages and legal costs.

Hence, High court judge Ravinthran N Paramaguru will be delivering his judgement at 11.30am at the Kuching High Court here.

“Tomorrow. Let the court decide,” Uggah’s lawyer Sim Hui Chuang told reporters after the proceeding today.

Present during the proceeding were Uggah, who was accompanied former Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang.

Vernon, who is now PKR Sarawak secretary and Special Officer to the Minister of Works Baru Bian, was absent.

Vernon’s lawyer Desmond Kho also echoed what Sim said, letting the court to decide tomorrow.

Uggah filed a defamation suit against Vernon for calling him a “liar” and a “traitor”, which Uggah claimed were highly defamatory and published widely via the ‘PKR Sarawak State Media’ WhatsApp chat group late last year.

It was claimed that Vernon uttered the remarks when commenting on the alleged imperfection of the amended Sarawak Land Code, particularly on the mechanism(s) to convert native customary rights (NCR) land to Native Territorial Domain (NTD).

Vernon had claimed that Uggah was “lying” when he interpreted that usufructuary right as a right that one can own and also use, which Uggah had vehemently denied.