Hearing of Anwar's defamation suit against Syed Hamid on June 23

The High Court here today fixed June 23 for the hearing of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's RM100 million defamation suit against former home minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar over a newspaper article.

Judge Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad fixed the date in chambers after meeting with Anwar's counsel K.Muralidharan and senior federal counsel Tengku Intan Suraya Tengku Ismail, representing Syed Hamid.

Muralidharan later told reporters that his side would call five witnesses for the hearing and the defendant, only one witness, Syed Hamid.

Anwar had filed the suit, naming Syed Hamid as the first defendant and the Malaysian government as the second defendant, alleging that the former home minister had uttered defamatory words against him at the Parliament lobby on July 2, 2008 and the statement appeared in The Star newspaper on July 3, 2008.

Anwar said the article portrayed him as a traitor, as disloyal to the country, religion and people and as an untrustworthy person.

Besides the RM100 million claim, Anwar is also seeking exemplary damages, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.