Court sets Sept 22 to hear Terengganu Sultanah's appeal against Rewcastle-Brown case decision

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has set Sept 22 to hear the appeal by the Sultanah of Terengganu, Sultanah Nur Zahirah against the High Court's decision to dismiss her suit against Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown and two others for allegedly defaming her.

Her lawyer Datuk Mohd Haaziq Pillay, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the appeal hearing date following case management on Friday (May 12) before Court of Appeal deputy registrar Zuhrina Mohamed Nor.

On Oct 31 last year, High Court Judicial Commissioner Dr John Lee Kien How @ Mohd Johan dismissed Sultanah Nur Zahirah's lawsuit against Rewcastle-Brown, publisher Gerakbudaya Enterprise and printer Vinlin Press Sdn Bhd.

The Judicial Commissioner ruled that there were no defamatory statements in the Rewcastle-Brown book titled "The Sarawak Report-The Inside 1MDB Expose".

Sultanah Nur Zahirah then filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal on Nov 7, last year against the decision.

On Nov 21, 2018, Sultanah Nur Zahirah sued Rewcastle-Brown, Gerakbudaya and Vinlin Press claiming RM100mil in general damages from each and also seeking for an order for the publisher to withdraw the book containing the alleged defamatory statement and for the printer to stop printing the book.

Sultanah Nur Zahirah claimed that the statement, among others, meant that she was involved in corruption and interfered in the administration of the Terengganu government, besides using her status to influence the establishment of TIA, later known as 1MDB.

She contended that the statement meant that she had helped Jho Low to become a TIA adviser.

In their defence statements, the three defendants denied making allegations that the Terengganu Sultanah was involved in corrupt practices.

Rewcastle-Brown also claimed that the Sarawak Report had never suggested that the Sultanah of Terengganu was involved in a conspiracy involving Jho Low and had never suggested that she (Sultanah Nur Zahirah) was involved in the government's administration related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) affairs. – Bernama