KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 – Indera Mahkota Member of Parliament Azan Ismail and Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad have agreed to settle the former’s RM29 million suit out of court, following the Malay daily’s agreement to carry a correction and apology over a defamatory article published by the defendant, three years ago.
Both parties recorded the settlement before Justice Datuk Hue Siew Kheng in her chambers today. Following the settlement, Azan from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has withdrawn the suit, and Hue allowed the plaintiff’s action without the need to file a fresh suit. The defendant’s counsel, T.K.V.Mohanakumar told reporters that among the terms of settlement agreed by both parties was that the daily would publish a correction and an apology within seven days from today.
Azan’s counsel, Vasudevan Appu said the defendant agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money to the plaintiff as part of the settlement. The plaintiff named Utusan news editor Zulkiflee Bakar and Utusan as defendants, claiming that Zulkiflee had writtten a defamatory article against him in the newspaper’s March 6, 2010 edition.
In his statement of claim, he said the article reported him as having quit PKR, and his photo was published together with those of other politicians who had left the party. He said Utusan printed and published a correction on March 8, 2010, saying he did not leave the party, but stated that he had quit all his posts in the party, including as PKR’s state deputy liaison chief and state membership bureau chairman. Azan claimed that the two reports could cause him to lose his dignity.
BERNAMA
