KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor today apologised to Kedah Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar after losing a suit for defaming the latter.

Sanusi posted his written apology today on his personal Facebook page, and apologised over a post he had made on that platform in 2019 when Mahfuz was still the Pokok Sena MP for Parti Amanah Negara.

"On July 30, 2019, I had made a post on this Facebook touching on the issue of gambling company Sports Toto’s premise moving from Alor Setar to the Pokok Sena area ("Facebook Post”).

"I had stated that leaders of Amanah and PH who were the ruling government then had diluted sensitivities as the shifting of that Sports Toto outlet happened in a Muslim-majority area in Kedah, without any obstruction until that issue was raised by the community and me, four months after approval was given by the Finance Ministry.

"Following the defamation lawsuit filed by Mahfuz Omar against me regarding that Facebook Post, the High Court on November 8, 2021 and the Court of Appeal on April 3, 2023 have decided that that Facebook post of mine is a defamatory statement against Mahfuz Omar, and I was ordered to apologise.

"Therefore, I apologise to Mahfuz Omar for the statement that was made in that Facebook Post,” he said in his statement.

Mahfuz, who is also Amanah’s vice-president, took to his own Facebook account to reshare the apology made by Sanusi.

In his Facebook post, Mahfuz also reminded Sanusi not to repeat such actions.

Mahfuz won the defamation lawsuit in November 2021 at the High Court where Sanusi was ordered to pay RM50,000 in compensation, and again won at the Court of Appeal on April 3 this year where the compensation Sanusi was ordered to pay was increased to RM120,000.

Earlier this week, Sanusi was reported saying that he had made the payment to compensate Mahfuz over the defamation, as ordered by the courts.