KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has ordered Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff to pay RM400,000 in damages to Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, who won a defamation suit against the Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer in May.
The ruling follows Judicial Commissioner Avinder Singh Gill's decision to dismiss Kamarul Zaman's application to stay the damages payment, finding that no special circumstances warranted a suspension.
"With today's ruling, he is required to pay the damages," Hannah's lawyer, Sangeet Kaur Deo, told reporters after the proceedings in chambers on Thursday (Aug 28). The court also ordered costs of RM2,500 against Kamarul Zaman.
Meanwhile, Kamarul Zaman's lawyer, Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz, stated that the court had applied the maximum assessment and found no special circumstances to justify a stay of payment for his client.
"The previous High Court judgment ordering RM400,000 in damages remains in force. My client is also required to pay the damages, as bankruptcy proceedings have been initiated against him," he said.
On Aug 15, Hannah, who is also Youth and Sports Minister, filed a bankruptcy notice against Kamarul Zaman after he failed to settle the damages.
On May 30, judge Datuk Aliza Sulaiman ordered Kamarul Zaman to pay RM400,000 in damages after upholding Hannah's defamation suit over statements made by the defendant eight years ago.
In her ruling, Judge Aliza noted that the court was satisfied Hannah had discharged the burden of proof on the balance of probabilities, establishing that both the first and second publications were defamatory.
The 2022 defamation suit stemmed from two Facebook posts by Kamarul Zaman between May 10 and 17, 2017, alleging that Hannah had an agenda to convert others to Christianity and used her political platform to promote the religion.
Kamarul Zaman also cited Hannah's autobiography, Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey, as evidence of the alleged agenda, claiming she intended to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation. - Bernama
