Khir Toyo withdraws 'bungalow' case against Sekinchan assemblyman

The High Court here today struck out former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo's RM10 million 'luxury bungalow' defamation suit against Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim.

Judicial Commissioner Datuk Azimah Omar made the order after Dr Mohamad Khir applied to withdraw the case.

When met by reporters, Ng's lawyer, M. Manoharan said there was no order for costs.

Dr Mohamad Khir in his suit filed on Jan 7, 2010, alleged that Ng had tarnished his image through a media statement in regards to his ownership of a bungalow.

Ng, in his statement of defence, said he had conditional justification to expose any abuse of power by the former menteri besar. He also denied that his statement was defamatory in fact or law.

Ng also said his statement was fair comment, made in the interest of the public and factually accurate.

On July 6, 2009, the DAP assemblyman claimed that Dr Mohamad Khir had purchased a bungalow in Section 7 in Shah Alam, which cost about RM24 million.

Ng compared the figure to the latter's annual income of about RM576,000 or RM4.6 million in the eight years he had held the menteri besar post.

Dr Mohamad Khir, represented by counsel M. Athimulan, had denied the claim, saying that the bungalow was only worth RM3.5 million and bought with a 30-year repayment bank loan.

The Court of Appeal in May last year upheld Dr Mohamad Khir's conviction and 12 months' jail sentence for corruptly obtaining for himself and his wife, two plots of land and a bungalow in Section 7 here.

The court also upheld the Shah Alam High Court ruling on Dec 23, 2011, ordering Dr Mohamad Khir to forfeit ownership of the property and hand it over to the government.