Egg importer sues Azmin for defamation

KUALA LUMPUR: An egg importing company has filed a lawsuit against former International Trade and Industry minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali for alleging that the company obtained a contract through direct negotiation with the government to import eggs from India.

J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd, as plaintiff, filed the suit through Law Chambers of Han & Zi at the High Court here on April 12, naming Mohamed Azmin as the sole defendant.

The company is claiming that the defendant had defamed the company in a political talk titled "Ceramah Perdana: Solidariti Menentang Kezaliman” in Taman Melewar here on March 11, and his words were published by print and electronic media, including YouTube.

Even though the company was not named in the defamatory speech, it was clearly referring to the plaintiff as it was the only Malaysian company allowed to import eggs from India as announced by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu in a Parliament session on March 8, the suit read.

It said the defendant made the allegation with the knowledge that the company was only importing eggs from India as a temporary measure to meet local demand during festive seasons to help solve the issue of lack of eggs in the market since October 2022.

The suit stated that the claims were untrue as the company had never been involved and had no links with whatever direct negotiation by the Malaysian government.

It claimed that Mohamed Azmin’s actions were malicious and intended to damage the plaintiff’s image and reputation as well as to gain cheap publicity for political gain.

The plaintiff is seeking an injunction against the defendant to stop him, or any of his agents or workers from speaking or publishing any defamatory statements and to seek general damages, exemplary damages, interest, and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.

Lawyer Elyse Ng Zi Qian, who represented the plaintiff, said that the suit was set for case mention on May 16 in front of deputy registrar Rozana Husin.

"We have sent out the sealed writ of summons together with the statement of claim to his (Mohamed Azmin) addresses including Pusat Khidmat Rakyat Dun Bukit Antarabangsa," she said in a statement. – Bernama