PUTRAJAYA: A civil suit brought by a businessman against HomeMinister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for alleged assault will proceed for trial at the High Court.
The Federal Court dismissed the minister's leave application to appeal against the High Court's decision that he should settle the suit in court.
The five-person panel lead by Court of Appeal president Justice Raus Sharif dismissed the application on Thursday with RM5,000 costs.
Justice Raus said that the issues brought up by Ahmad Zahid's counsel Shamsul Bahrai Ibrahim were factual and should be heard in a trial not the Federal Court.
Businessman Amir Bazli Abdullah, 41, filed the suit for damages on July 4, 2007, claiming that Ahmad Zahid punched him in the face on Jan 16, 2006 at the Country Heights recreational club in Kajang, causing him to suffer a nasal bone fracture and a swollen left eye.
Ahmad Zahid applied to the High Court to strike out the suit on grounds that the suit was trivial but was dismissed by the High Court and Court of Appeal in April 2010 and March 2012, respectively.
Ahmad Zahid filed a counter-claim against Amir Bazli for damages for considerable distress, embarrassment, anxiety suffered by him and also damages for libel over publication of the alleged incident after Amir Bazli had gone to the media.
In his statement of defence, Ahmad Zahid, then deputy information minister, denied that he ever delivered any punch on Amir Bazli causing injury to his face, claiming that it was Amir Bazli's own concoction.
The case will now be heard before the Shah Alam High court on Aug 26 and 27.
Amir Bazli told reporters on Thursday that he had suffered permanent injuries to his head and has lost sight in his left eye.
He was represented by lawyers Karpal Singh, Sangeet Kaur Deo and Gobind Singh Deo.
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