KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has fixed a four-day trial starting July 23 in a defamation suit filed by Malaysian Chess Federation assistant secretary Sophian A. Yusuf against Ampang MP Zuraida Kamarudin (pic).
Judicial Commissioner Rohani Ismail fixed the dates in her chambers here on Tuesday (Feb 20). She also fixed April 13 for case management.
Also present were lawyer Mohd Haris Abdullah who represented Sophian, and Zuraida's counsel Shahid Adli Kamarudin.
Sophian, 44, filed the suit on Nov 20, last year.
He claimed Zuraida, 60, had allegedly defamed him on April 29, 2017, for not allowing a 12-year-old girl to attend a chess tournament in Putrajaya between April 14 and April 16, the same year.
In his statement of claim, Sophian, who was then the National Scholastic Chess Championship 2017 tournament director, claimed Zuraida's statement, published by newspapers and portals, allegedly defamed him and affected his reputation as a renowned figure in the local and international chess world.
The plaintiff claimed that Zuraida's statement also meant to say that he was a paedophile, a pervert, and a sex-maniac who would be turned on by the short skirt worn by a young girl.
The plaintiff sought a court order for the defendant to retract her statement and a permanent injunction to prohibit the defendant, her representatives or agents from reproducing it.
He also sought an apology from the defendant.
The plaintiff also sought general, special, aggravated and exemplary damages, interests, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.
Zuraida, in her defence filed on Jan 18, said her statement was merely based on her opinion without malice.
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