KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was granted leave by the High Court here on Tuesday (Jan 7) to commence contempt proceedings against former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The proceedings relate to Dr Mahathir's holding a press conference on Dec 5 last year in the lobby of the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. During the conference, he displayed several copies of documents, including his identity card, after giving testimony in his lawsuit against Ahmad Zahid regarding the “kutty” issue.
Lawyer Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, representing Ahmad Zahid, said that during the in-chamber proceedings before Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong on Tuesday, the court allowed his client's application to initiate the committal proceedings after hearing the ex-parte application filed by the Umno president.
Dr Mahathir had completed his testimony in the lawsuit proceedings on Dec 5, while his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz, was the last plaintiff's witness on Dec 9. Ahmad Zahid is expected to testify as the defendant's witness on May 14.
Dr Mahathir, 99, had filed the suit against Ahmad Zahid, 72, for allegedly making defamatory statements about him regarding the “kutty” issue.
According to the statement of claim filed on July 20, 2022, Dr Mahathir claims that Ahmad Zahid made defamatory remarks about him during an Umno division meeting in Kelana Jaya on July 30, 2017. The statement was republished on several online news portals, which were accessible to internet users without restrictions. – Bernama
