KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has fixed a two-day trial for the suit brought by Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad against a news portal over an alleged ‘luxury vacation’ report.
Judicial Commissioner Darryl Goon Siew Chye has set Oct 1 and 2 for the trial after the matter came up for case management today.
Lawyers Nadzratun Naim Hammad Azizi and Nurilya Ellyna Nor Azmal acted for the Terengganu Pakatan Harapan chairman while lawyer Ahmad Hazrin Abdul Rahman appeared for MyNewsNet Sdn Bhd, which was named as the sole defendant in the suit.
They were present during the proceedings in chambers.
In January last year, Raja Kamarul had through Messrs Mohamed Hanipa & Associates filed the suit at the High Court registrar, here.
In the statement of claim, the plaintiff (Raja Kamarul) said the defendant had through its news portal, MyNewsHub, published an article titled ‘Wakil Rakyat PAN Cuti Mewah di UK’ (Amanah representative on UK luxury vacation), accusing him of going on a trip to London while the state was hit by floods in December 2016.
Raja Kamarul, who was former Kuala Terengganu MP, claimed that the defamatory words used in the report was directed to him as his name, position and photograph were specifically published with the report.
He further alleged that the words implied that he was a dishonest person and an MP who lives a luxurious life.
He said the words had also meant that he had neglected his constituency during the floods by going on a luxury vacation in London.
He also claimed that the publishing of the words in the report had caused him to suffer embarrassment, humiliation and misery concerning his dignity, credibility, character and reputation.
Raja Kamarul is seeking for the defendant to retract the words published in the report as well as a written apology to be published in Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian newspapers.
He is also seeking for general, exemplary and aggravated damages as well as other reliefs deemed fit by the court.
Meanwhile, in a statement of defence, MyNewsNet vehemently denied that it was the owner and publisher of news portal MyNewsHub as claimed by the plaintiff.
It also claimed that the photos of Raja Kamarul were taken from an Instagram account belonging to singer Noryn Aziz, showing the two of them together at Hyde Park, London and Arc De Trompe, Paris.