KUCHING: The High Court has ordered Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen to pay RM500,000 in damages and costs to Deputy Premier Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian over defamatory remarks involving Covid-19 food relief funds in 2020.
In his ruling yesterday, Justice Alwi Abdul Wahab allowed Dr Sim’s claim that Chong’s Facebook posts on the matter were maliciously published and calculated to injure his reputation.
He also found that Chong had failed to establish his defence and dismissed his counterclaim that Dr Sim’s related press statements were defamatory.
Consequently, the court awarded RM350,000 in general and aggravated damages for defamation, RM50,000 in general damages for malicious falsehood and RM100,000 in total costs to Dr Sim.
The suit, filed in 2020, arose from two Facebook posts by Chong in April 2020 alleging misuse and manipulation of RM800,000 in government food relief funds during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Sim claimed that the posts were defamatory and damaging to his reputation, while Chong, who is Stampin MP and Padungan assemblyman, defended them as fair criticism of the state government’s food aid distribution policy.
After the ruling, Dr Sim said justice had been done.
“The judgment, after some 60 days of trial, is a testament to the importance of courage and patience in the path of justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chong said he would appeal against the judgment on personal and public interest grounds.
“I am of the view that my comment was a fair criticism against the state government’s discriminatory policy and will stand by my position,” he said.
