KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 20): The George Town High Court ordered Kepala Batas MP Siti Mastura Muhammad to file her statement of defence in the lawsuits brought against her by DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng and Teresa Kok by Jan 11, 2024.
The court’s senior assistant registrar Tunku Intan Nadiah via e-review on Tuesday ordered her lawyer Mohamad Hakim Faharmi Hassan to file her statement of defence.
She also said that a reply to the statement of defence is to be filed on or before Jan, 26, 2024 by the trio’s lawyers led by Datuk Sankara Nair.
The lawsuits, which were filed separately by the three, are in relation to Siti Mastura’s speech made while campaigning for the Kemaman by-election.
The plaintiffs were also represented by lawyers Jaden Phoon Wai Ken and Wong Guo Jin.
The politicians claimed that Siti Mastura made defamatory statements about them being related to the Communist Party and its leader Chin Peng, along with first Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew during a political talk on Nov 4, alleging that they were linked to the Communist Party, supported, practised and spread communist ideology and philosophy in the country.
The plaintiffs said the defendant’s claims were baseless, false and with ill-intent as they deliberately associated them with the Communist Party and Chin Peng.
"The defendant’s actions were motivated by deceit to garner publicity to boost her political party’s image,” the plaintiffs said in their statement of claim, in which they seek general damages, aggravated damages and exemplary damages as well as an injunction to prevent the defendant from further publishing the same statement.
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