Shankar (front) and his team seen at the Kuching Court Complex.
KUCHING (April 24): The trial of the legal suit filed by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian against Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen regarding the Covid-19 food aid drive continued yesterday, with another reporter being called as the third defendant witness.
In a cross-examination conducted by Dr Sim’s counsel Shankar Ram Asnani, the third defendant witness Samuel Aubrey, a reporter from The Borneo Post, said the plaintiff had neither editorial authority nor control over how the sentence structure ought to be arranged for an article written by the witness.
Shankar put it to him that in relation to an article by The Borneo Post, Dr Sim was accused by Chong of discrimination regarding the Covid-19 food aid, and that was why the reporters went to see him for his comments regarding the accusation, on April 17, 2020.
Samuel agreed and added that there were restrictions of the number of people to attend Dr Sim’s press conference as it was still Movement Control Order (MCO) period at the time.
“By the time you went to see Dr Sim on April 17, 2020, and there were other reporters there, you knew that there were allegations of discrimination made by the defendant against the plaintiff personally.
“That is why you and the other reporters asked for his comment,” Shankar asked Samuel.
Samuel disagreed, and emphasised that Dr Sim, at that time, was chairing a press conference, and he (Samuel) and other reporters took the opportunity to ask the plaintiff to comment.
In 2020, Dr Sim, who is Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president, filed the defamation suit over Chong’s allegation that the Deputy Premier had failed to manage food aid funds worth RM800,000 meant for four opposition-held state constituencies at the time: Padungan, Batu Lintang, Pending and Kota Sentosa.
Dr Sim is represented by counsels Shankar Ram, Yu Ying Ying and Russell Lim, while Chong is represented by Michael Kong, Sharon Lo, and Brenda Chong.
The defamation suit, which was heard before Judge Dr Alwi Abdul Wahab, continues today.
Photo shows Chong’s counsels Lo (left) and Kong.