PUTRAJAYA: Damansara Member of Parliament, Tony Pua Kiam Wee will get damages over an injunction in a suit filed by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak against him in relation to a video clip relating to the tabling of the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016 or RUU355.
A three-member bench of the Court of Appeal chaired by Justice Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, set aside the injunction obtained by Najib in his suit and ruled that Pua, who is also political secretary to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, is entitled to damages.
He ordered the damages to be assessed by the High Court following the setting aside of the injunction.
Justice Dr Hamid Sultan, who sat with Justices Datuk Hanipah Farikullah and Datuk Lau Bee Lan, however, upheld the High Court’s decision which allowed Najib to withdraw his suit against Pua.
“This is a fit and proper case for the bench to allow the appeal in part. Parties are to go back to the High Court for the assessment of damages,” he said.
The court also ordered the former prime minister to pay RM10,000 in costs to Pua.
Pua was appealing against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision on July 30, 2018 allowing Najib to withdraw his suit against him despite the latter’s objection.
Najib sued Pua in his personal capacity, alleging that the latter had made defamatory statements against him in a two-minute and 21-second live video which was uploaded onto his official Facebook site.
Lawyer Surendra Ananth represented Pua while Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun acted for Najib.
— BERNAMA
