This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on August 21, 2019 - August 27, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Minister of National Unity and Social Well-being P Waytha Moorthy has sued Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam for alleged defamatory statements about the death of a firefighter.

Lokman allegedly made false accusations that Waytha had tried to persuade the prime minister and his cabinet to amend the report on the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, who lost his life after being injured in the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple riot last November.

According to the statement of claim, Lokman allegedly delivered a speech at a protest rally in January, saying that Waytha in one cabinet meeting requested that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad amend the investigation report into Muhammad Adib’s death by stating the cause of death as an accident or that the firefighter had been knocked down by a vehicle instead of being assaulted.

Lokman was alleged to have said that Waytha made that move to avoid racial riots.

Waytha is represented by Annou Xavier, while Lokman is represented by N Logendran.

Both parties’ lawyers were in the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday for case management of the suit.

Judicial Commissioner Datuk Seri Latifah Haji Mohd Tahar fixed Nov 1, 2019 as the next case management date.