KJ’s vaccine defamation suit settled out of court, Lokman Noor apologises

KUALA LUMPUR: Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin has expressed satisfaction after Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam agreed to apologise and pay an undisclosed compensation to him.

"I am thankful to the learned judge (Dr John Lee Kien How @ Mohd Johan), and I am satisfied that he (Lokman) apologised and agreed to pay as agreed," Khairy was quoted by Sinar Harian when met outside the court after proceedings at the High Court here on Monday (April 15).

The matter involved Khairy’s lawsuit against Lokman, who was accused of making defamatory statements regarding the Covid-19 vaccine issue two years ago.

Khairy was present in court while Lokman was absent and represented only by his lawyer, Logen Eskander Abdullah.

During the proceedings, Khairy's lawyer Abdul Rashid Ismail said that in the previous proceedings, the court had set Monday for his client’s trial.

However, he informed that both parties agreed to settle the case.

”Lokman agreed to delete seven posts involving pictures, videos, and statements on his Facebook and YouTube pages.

"He also cannot publish or share the defamatory statements again and must post an apology on these two social media platforms in both Malay and English," he said.

Abdul Rashid added that the defendant also agreed to pay an undisclosed sum as compensation as agreed by both parties.

Meanwhile, Logen later confirmed that the settlement had been reached.

Upon hearing this, Mohd Johan stated that the court had successfully recorded the consent judgment.

"Alhamdulillah, thank you and congratulations to all parties. The court appreciates the efforts of both parties to settle the case, with no order as to costs," he said.

Meanwhile, when met outside the court, Logen stated that his client would issue an apology to the plaintiff within 30 days.

Based on the statement of claim, Khairy, 48, who is also former Rembau MP, filed the lawsuit in his personal capacity alleging that Lokman defamed him through two videos and posts on the Facebook page 'Lokman Noor Adam Official' on Jan 6, where Lokman made statements during two live broadcasts on Facebook and YouTube 'Lokman Adam' on Jan 10.

The plaintiff claimed the defamatory statements in the lawsuit imply that he lied and deceived the public by claiming that he had received the Covid-19 vaccine and a third dose, as well as falsified information regarding vaccination status.

According to the plaintiff, the publication of the defamatory statements severely damaged his reputation and integrity, reducing public trust and confidence in him both personally and professionally.