KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 182 police reports have been lodged against the Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh, in connection with her book "Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey".
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said police had recorded the statements of 59 individuals regarding the ongoing investigation.
"However, we have not recorded her (Yeoh) statement yet. We will schedule it soon," he said on Wednesday (Jan 8).
It was reported that police were investigating police reports lodged against the Segambut MP in connection with her book.
An NGO had previously called for Yeoh to resign from her cabinet post after the Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed a defamation suit filed by the Segambut MP against former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan over remarks he made during a forum at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) four years ago.
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Judicial commissioner Arziah Mohamed Apandi ruled on Monday (Dec 23) after finding that the plaintiff had failed to establish that the defendant’s statements were defamatory.
"I find that in this case, the occasion (where the forum was held) to be privileged, no malice was proven, and the defendant had reasonable grounds for his statements based on the plaintiff's admissions and writings (in her book "Becoming Hannah"), and the publication (of the defendant's statements) was beyond his control," she said.
JC Arziah further said that the constitutional right to freedom of expression must be robustly protected, especially in matters of public interest and statements made during privileged occasions.
The legal counsel for Yeoh filed an appeal in the Court of Appeal on Thursday (Dec 26), challenging the High Court's decision to dismiss her defamation suit against Musa.
Yeoh stated that while she respects the judicial process, she has instructed her counsel to request that the appeal be heard expeditiously.
"My counsel has advised me that the full written grounds of judgment from the High Court have not yet been provided. As of now, only a brief explanation is available, listed in writing on the court’s e-review system on Dec 23.
"Therefore, it would be premature at this stage to draw any conclusions about the High Court's overall decision and the reasons behind it," she said.
In 2020, Yeoh filed a suit against Musa over statements made during a forum at UiTM on Jan 30 that year.
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She claimed that in his speech, Musa had, among other things, accused her of writing her book to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation, of having connections with evangelists and Jews to undermine Islam and Malaysia, and of prioritising her personal interests over the nation's.
She argued that Musa's statements in his speech were untrue, false, and unfounded and that they were made with malicious intent to tarnish her good name and reputation
