PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal on Monday (June 22) ordered a 71-year-old man to serve one day in jail and fined him RM10,000, in default seven days' jail, for contempt of court for breaching an interim injunction in a defamation suit involving his siblings.
A three-member bench comprising Datuk Wong Kian Kheong, Datuk Ismail Brahim and Datuk Amarjeet Singh also ordered Zulkifli Ibrahim to pay costs of RM20,000, with both the fine and costs to be settled within one month.
The court had allowed an appeal by Zulkifli Ibrahim's brother Mohd Nasir and sister Narimah, overturning a High Court decision that had merely issued a warning to Zulkifli and ordered him to pay RM3,000 in costs for breaching an interim injunction issued on Aug 29, 2024.
Delivering the court's decision, Justice Wong said the High Court's decision to issue only a warning to Zulkifli and impose RM3,000 in costs was manifestly inadequate.
He said the injunction order must be complied with as it is in the public interest to preserve the authority of the courts and the integrity of the administration of justice.
Justice Wong said Zulkifli had published nine social media posts despite the interim injunction order prohibiting him from doing so, and only purged the contempt on Monday.
He said it was only when questioned by the court that Zulkifli's lawyer undertook to remove the postings, and that Zulkifli only issued an apology the same day through his lawyer.
In imposing the one-day jail sentence, Justice Wong said the court took into account Zulkifli's age, as he is 71 years old.
Mohd Nasir and Narimah had filed a defamation suit in 2024. They obtained an interim injunction order restraining Zulkifli from making statements on social media regarding their family property dispute pending disposal of the defamation suit.
Zulkifli, the head of Persatuan Ehsan Bersatu, a non-governmental organisation, did not object to the injunction order.
They subsequently filed an application for contempt of court after they alleged Zulkifli breached the injunction by continuing to publish social media posts, even though he did not explicitly name them.
On Oct 21 last year, the High Court found that Zulkifli had breached the injunction order but imposed only a warning and RM3,000 in costs, prompting the appeal.
At the Court of Appeal on Monday, Lawyer Muhamad Izwan Ishak represented Zulkifli, while H.Y. Chong and Amitaesh Theva appeared for Mohd Nasir and Narimah. - Bernama
