June 17 hearing of IGP, Ismail Sabri's application to strike out Nurul Izzah's suit

The High Court is to hear on June 17 the applications by two people to strike out a defamation suit filed by PKR

vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar against them for having allegedly accused her of being a traitor to the country.

The applicants are Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Judge Datuk John Louis O'Hara set the date in chambers in the presence of federal counsel Shaiful Nizam Shahrin, who represented Khalid and Ismail Sabri, and lawyer Melissa Sasidaran who appeared for Nurul Izzah.

Khalid and Ismail Sabri filed the applications at the end of January to strike out the suit.

Nurul Izzah, who is Lembah Pantai MP, filed the suit on Nov 26 last year claiming that Khalid had allegedly uttered slanderous words against her during a press conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters on the same day.

She also claimed that Ismail Sabri had allegedly used a libellous media statement against her on the same day during an event in Bera, Pahang.

In her statement of claim, Nurul Izzah claimed that the statements were issued several days after a photograph showing her with Jacel Kiram, daughter of Jamalulail Kiram who had allegedly ordered an attack on and intrusion into Sabah in 2013.

She claimed that the words implied that she was a traitor to the country and the mastermind of the intrusion into Sabah.