KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 — The High Court here today ordered Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to pay RM400,000 of the judgment sum to former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng in a defamation suit by December 31.
Bernama reported that Lim’s lawyer Guok Ngek Seong said Judge Roz Mawar Rozain also directed Muhyiddin to pay the remaining RM1.02 million by January 27 next year.
“The court granted a conditional stay to Muhyiddin with costs of RM5,000, requiring him to pay RM400,000 by December 31 and the remaining RM1.02 million by January 27, 2025,” Guok told reporters after the in-chambers proceedings.
Muhyiddin’s lawyer Chetan Jethwani confirmed the matter.
On December 9, Lim filed a bankruptcy notice against Muhyiddin for failing to pay the RM1.402 million judgment sum, which includes RM50,000 in costs and RM2,000 in allocator fees, as ordered by the High Court on November 8.
Muhyiddin subsequently filed an application to stay the payment, citing the large sum involved.
He argued that he needed more time to raise the funds and expressed his willingness to deposit 50 per cent of the judgment sum into a fixed deposit account, to be held by Lim’s lawyer as a stakeholder, pending the hearing and resolution of his appeal at the Court of Appeal.
On November 8, the court had ordered Muhyiddin to pay RM1.35 million in damages to Lim for defaming the Bagan MP over the cancellation of a tax exemption for Yayasan Albukhary.
Judge Roz Mawar ruled in favour of Lim, saying he successfully proved his case, and also instructed Muhyiddin to pay RM50,000 in costs.
Lim filed the defamation suit on March 27, 2023, alleging that Muhyiddin made three defamatory statements on Facebook on March 9, 11, and 12, 2023, regarding the tax exemption issue.
The DAP chairman claimed the statements implied that he abused his position and authority by directing the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) to impose taxes and penalties on the charitable foundation, even though it should not have been taxed.
