KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 16): Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been hospitalised at the National Heart Institute (IJN), resulting in the postponement of his defamation suit against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Lawyer Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi, representing Mahathir, informed the court on Wednesday that the two-time PM was taken to IJN on Tuesday evening due to a lung infection.
It is understood that the 99-year-old is down with lower respitory tract infection, and would be in the IJN until Oct 25 for treatment. He has been given a medical certificate for 12 days.
Speaking to The Edge, lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, also acting for the former PM, said that Mahathir had been having bouts of cough and was given the lengthy MC based on the doctor's advice.
As such, the trial has been postponed, and is set to resume on Oct 29 and 30 with continued cross-examination of Mahathir.
Following that, Mahathir’s son, former Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, is expected to take the stand.
Afterwards, Zahid is expected take the stand when the trial resumes on Dec 5.
Mahathir is suing Zahid over the Umno chief's comments, which Mahathir says implied that he was not born as a Malay or a Muslim with the alleged original name of "Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty".
Zahid's comments, Mahathir claims, painted him as an opportunist, where he was proclaimed to be Malay only to gain political and personal favour, and had a skewed view of the Indian community.
Mahathir is seeking general, exemplary, and aggravated damages from Zahid, and an injunction barring the Umno president or his agents from repeating such claims.
The trial is before Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong.