GEORGE TOWN: Kepala Batas MP Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad has paid RM830,034.75 to the lawyers of three DAP leaders pending her appeal against the judgment in their defamation suit against her.
The payment was made to the law firm that represented DAP veteran Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, and DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok in their defamation suit against the PAS MP.
Siti Mastura’s lawyer Yusfarizal Yusoff shared that the payment was made while Siti Mastura's stay application on the judgment was pending an appeal in the Court of Appeal.
“My client has already made payment to the law firm on the condition that the money will be kept in the solicitor’s account pending the disposal of the appeal in the Court of Appeal.
“This is the arrangement agreed on by both parties,” Yusfarizal said on Thursday (Jan 23) in the High Court here when the application to stay the judgment pending the appeal came up before Justice Quay Chew Soon in the chambers.
In December last year, the court ordered Siti Mastura to pay RM300,000 to Kit Siang, RM250,000 to Guan Eng, RM200,000 to Kok, and RM25,000 in legal costs to each.
The High Court had found Siti Mastura guilty of defamation for claiming that Kit Siang and Guan Eng had blood ties with communist leader Chin Peng.
She had also linked Kit Siang and Guan Eng to former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Siti Mastura had then claimed that Kok is a cousin of Guan Eng’s wife, Betty Chew.
Siti Mastura is alleged to have made the remarks during a speech in Kemaman, Terengganu, on Nov 4, 2023.
The court ruled that her statements were baseless and damaging to the leaders’ reputations.
Siti Mastura had sought a stay of execution to delay the payment.
Yusfarizal said case management for the appeal would be held on March 13.
