KUALA LUMPUR (July 25): Kepong Member of Parliament Lim Lip Eng's bid to stay a RM2 million judgement in a defamation suit brought against him by MonSpace (M) Sdn Bhd and its founder Datuk Seri Jessy Lai has been set for Aug 8.

The Court of Appeal will also hear Lim's application for an extension of time to file his notice of appeal on that day.

This comes after case management on Tuesday (July 25), where Wong Guo Jin appeared for the DAP leader, while Siew Yen Mee appeared for the e-commerce firm and its founder.

Lim’s lawyer Sankara Nair confirmed the matter when contacted. Lim has also filed an appeal to set aside the High Court's decision, and he is seeking to stay the decision pending the disposal of his appeal.

On March 16, High Court judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir ordered Lim to pay RM1 million in damages to the company, and another RM500,000 to Lai, after finding that Lim's statement had tarnished the image of the company and Lai.

Besides this, the court also ordered Lim to pay RM500,000 in total aggravated damages to the company and Lai. In addition, Akhtar ordered Lim to pay costs of RM250,000.

The sum is one of the largest awarded for defamation.

The DAP leader was also ordered to publish an apology to be advertised in newspapers and various social media.

Lim has crowdfunded about RM2.25 million, which is being held by his lawyers as a stakeholder.

MonSpace and Lai filed the defamation suit in 2019, after Lim allegedly made multiple statements, including when he and several Chinese nationals visited the company's headquarters in Bukit Jalil on May 23, 2017.

In the suit, Lai was seeking general and aggravated damages for 15 defamatory remarks purportedly made by the politician through five publications between 2017 and 2018.

In the statement of claim, both Lai and the company alleged that Lim’s statement connoted that they were running an illegal business, had cheated the Chinese investors, and implied that Lai was a dishonest person.

Lai further claimed that the MP’s statements had pressured the authorities, including the police, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, to take action against her.

In 2021, it was reported that the High Court had allowed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to forfeit RM1.5 million from Lai under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

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