GEORGE TOWN: Former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng's defamation suit against the state's former Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow over an article on Pulau Jerejak has been resolved, after Teng apologised to Lim in the High Court here today.

Teng read out his statement of apology before High Court Judge Datuk Seri Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah.

"I hereby unconditionally and unreservedly apologise to Lim Guan Eng and retract the impugned statements that I made in the press conference on Nov 15, 2016, which were then published in The Star, The Star Online, Ming Daily and Sin Chew Daily on Nov 16, 2016.

"I regret the hardship and difficulties caused to Lim Guan Eng due to the publication of the above," he said.

Case management had been set for today, however, both parties agreed to settle it through a consent judgement.

Lim, who was represented by counsel Datuk N.Mureli, attended the proceedings while lawyer Kek Boon Wei represented Tek.

Judge Tun Abd Majid then recorded the consent judgment.

When met outside the court, Mureli informed that Teng as the defendant had agreed to pay RM75,000 in costs (for the legal fees of the High Court and Appeal Court) to Lim as the plaintiff.

In April 2017, Lim filed a suit naming Teng, who is also former Penang Gerakan chairman, Star Media Group Berhad news editor David Tan and journalist Crystal Chiam Shiying, as the defendants.

In his statement of claim, Lim claimed that Teng had given the permission and/or caused the defamatory and false statements to be written and published in the newspaper and its website through the other defendants.

He claimed that the defendants had maliciously published a defamatory and false statement in an article titled "Pulau Jerejak land sale questioned" dated Nov 16, 2016, which referred to the plaintiff (Lim).

Lim's legal action against the other defendants had been settled previously.

-- BERNAMA