KUALA LUMPUR: The hearing for contempt proceedings filed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi against former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been postponed to July 21.
The proceedings at the High Court 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.
Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong allowed an application by Dr Mahathir's lawyer Mior Nor Haidar Suhaimi to postpone the hearing, here on Thursday.
Mior Nor Haidar said he needed more time to study an affidavit-in-reply from Ahmad Zahid relating to the contempt proceedings that was received on Wednesday (May 21).
"We require instructions from our client on the affidavit. Our client is currently in Langkawi for Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025 (Lima '25).
"We ask for today's proceedings to be postponed," he said.
Lawyer Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman who represented Ahmad Zahid did not object.
The court also fixed new hearing dates for the main lawsuit between July 22 and July 24 as well as June 19 for case management.
Dr Mahathir had completed his testimony in the lawsuit proceedings on Dec 5, last year.
His son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz, was the last plaintiff's witness on Dec 9, 2024.
On July 20, 2022, Dr Mahathir, 99, filed the lawsuit against Ahmad Zahid, 70, as the sole defendant, for allegedly issuing defamatory statements regarding the "kutty" issue.
In his statement of claim, Dr Mahathir claimed that Ahmad Zahid made a defamatory statement against him by calling him "Mahathir son of Iskandar Kutty" during an Umno divisional meeting in Kelana Jaya on July 30, 2017.
In his statement of defence, Ahmad Zahid denied that the statement made on July 30, 2017, was malicious and slanderous and harmed the reputation of the plaintiff in the public eye.
