GEORGE TOWN: The Sessions Court has granted Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow one month to file his statement of defence in a defamation suit brought against him by former Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy concerning the controversial Batu Kawan land deal issue.
Judge Ooi Sheow Yeah set the deadline for Chow to file his defence as Sept 17.
During the proceedings, Ramasamy's counsel, Dr Shamsher Thind Singh, informed the court that the writ of summons and statement of claim had been personally served to Chow on July 30.
Chow's counsel, A. Ruebankumar, requested one month to file the defence, citing the need for further instructions and documents from the Chief Minister's Office.
"We are asking for one month until Sept 17 to file defence. We need time to, among others, get further instructions and documents from the Chief Minister's Office," he said.
Shamsher did not object to the request.
Ramasamy filed the suit last month over a statement Chow made on his Facebook page on Oct 3 last year, which Ramasamy claims severely tarnished his reputation.
The post was subsequently reproduced by the local media and shared by social media users.
According to Ramasamy, Chow's Facebook post contained false accusations regarding his involvement in the approval of a deal between Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and Umech Land Sdn Bhd.
Chow's post suggested that due diligence and approvals were carried out by a committee, including Ramasamy, for the joint venture project.
In his court filing, Ramasamy denied the allegations, saying, "Chow's statements were false and defamatory, and have caused significant harm to my reputation."
He is seeking damages, a mandatory injunction for Chow to retract his statements and issue a public apology, and a prohibitory injunction to prevent further defamatory statements, along with legal costs.
The controversy intensified when the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) questioned the awarding of the project through direct negotiations and why local companies were not given the opportunity to participate.
There were also concerns that the land might have been transferred to a developer.
The next case management date is set for Sept 17, when Chow's defence is due to be filed.