KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos has failed in his bid to strike out a lawsuit brought against him by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin for defamation during the Umno general assembly in 2022.
Khairy's lawyer, Shakeel Saifuzzaman, said that High Court Judicial Commissioner Dr Suzana Muhamad Said, struck out Jamal's application on the grounds that there were issues which need to be addressed in the lawsuit.
"The defendant's (Jamal's) application to strike out the writ of summons and the plaintiff's (Khairy's) statement of claim has been dismissed by the court.
"The court has also set May 27 for case management," the lawyer said after online proceedings on Tuesday (March 19).
Jamal, who is Umno Sungai Besar chief, had filed the application on Sept 19, 2023, citing various grounds such as unclear allegations against him, accusations of defamation and abuse of the court process.
Khairy filed the lawsuit on May 24, 2023, stating that during the 2022 Umno general assembly held on Jan 14, 2023, Jamal held a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre attended by media practitioners, Umno representatives and several party members and leaders.
He alleged that on the same day, Jamal uploaded a video on Facebook and TikTok calling for the Umno disciplinary board to take action against Khairy, where he issued baseless and shameful statements.
Khairy alleged that the defamatory statements included implications that he lacks integrity, is unfit to be a leader, and is disloyal to Umno and its leaders. – Bernama
