Jamal Yunos seeking to postpone hearing of defamation suit by Yeo Bee Yin

KUALA LUMPUR: Sungai Besar UMNO chief Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos has applied to postpone the hearing of a defamation suit filed against him by former energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister Yeo Bee Yin in connection with the Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas) fund.

Lawyer Nur Syafeeqah Nor Hisham, representing Jamal, said the application was filed last Sept 16 pending his client’s appeal at the Court of Appeal to strike out the suit.

She said the appeal was filed last Sept 4 following a decision by the High Court on Aug 7 in dismissing Jamal’s application to strike out the suit.

"No date has been fixed for the appeal. The court has however set four days, beginning Nov 9 to hear the suit.” she told reporters after the case management, held in chambers before High Court judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusoff today. Yeo was represented by lawyer Kenny Lee Jun How.

Nur Syafeeqah said the court fixed Oct 30 to hear Jamal’s application to postpone hearing of the suit.

Yeo filed the suit on June 14, 2017, seeking RM5mil in compensation from Jamal for his defamatory statement over the alleged abuse of the Yawas fund.

In the statement of claim, Yeo, who is also Bakri MP, claimed that Jamal had issued a defamatory statement on March 21, 2017, and that the statement was also published by several newspapers, news portals and on Jamal’s Facebook account.

Yeo claimed that Jamal’s statement, among others, gave the impression that she had abused public fund for personal use and painted her as an unethical and unreliable person.

Apart from RM5mil in general damages, Yeo is also seeking compensatory, aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent Jamal from repeating the allegations.

-- BERNAMA