KUALA LUMPUR: The Shah Alam High Court has fixed July 8 for case management in a defamation lawsuit filed by former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki against businessman Albert Tei.
The matter is fixed before deputy registrar Nur Hidayah Abd Mutalib.
Azam filed the writ of summons on Monday (June 8), claiming that Tei had defamed him in a podcast aired on several platforms namely YouTube, YouTube Shorts and Tei's own social media.
In his statement of claim, Azam said Tei, the host and operator of the podcast, published it on May 13 on his YouTube channel, accessible to the public.
Two other individuals, known as Alif and Rafidah Ibrahim, also appeared in the podcast.
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Azam vehemently denied the allegations against him, stating he had never met or communicated with Tei except for a meeting with the businessman's lawyer on Jan 20 last year.
"All of the allegations, claims and (disrespect) by the defendant against the plaintiff in the publication were false, baseless and defamatory," he said.
Azam claimed the defamatory statements were not spontaneous or made in the heat of a live programme but were part of a calculated programme arranged, conceived, prepared and controlled by the defendant.
He is seeking a declaration that the statements were false and defamatory to the plaintiff.
Azam also sought unspecified general damages, as well as aggravated and exemplary damages, interest and costs.
He is also seeking an injunction to stop the defendant, his workers, or agents from publishing or distributing the allegedly defamatory statements and a court order for the defendant to remove the publication from all platforms belonging to the plaintiff within seven days.
