KUALA LUMPUR (July 22): Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have agreed to settle out of court, their defamation suits against each other.

Lawyers for both the politicians informed High Court judicial commissioner Gan Techong on Tuesday that their clients have reached an agreement to withdraw their respective cases against each other, without liberty to file afresh.

Zahid’s counsel Mohd Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, along with Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi, who appeared for Mahathir, said that their clients have amicably reached a mutual agreement to drop their respective cases against each other. 

Both counsels also thanked the court for its guidance over both cases, which was filed in 2022.

Gan commented that the settlement was a “good example set by senior politicians” and ordered no cost for the case. 

In a joint press conference following the brief proceedings, both lawyers said that Tuesday’s resolution was “to reinforce the spirit of national unity and strengthen public confidence in the country’s leadership”.

Mahathir sued Zahid in July 2022 over the Umno president’s comments at a Umno division meeting in July 2017, which implied that Mahathir was not born as a Malay or a Muslim, with his alleged original name being “Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty”.

Zahid’s comments, Mahathir claims, painted him as an opportunist, wherein he was proclaimed to be Malay only to gain political and personal favour, and that he had a skewed view of the Indian community.

The trial for this case had already started with the 100-year-old politician taking the stand to testify.

Tuesday was initially set for Zahid’s contempt proceedings against Mahathir in relation to this case, but was struck out following the latest development.

However, in the joint statement, Zahid admitted that Mahahir’s name as registered at the National Registration Department (NRD) was Mahathir bin Mohamed. 

Zahid, meanwhile, sued Mahathir in April 2022 over comments that Zahid had met with Mahathir to help resolve the former’s ongoing court cases.

Zahid claimed that such defamatory words meant that he would resort to shortcuts with regard to his ongoing criminal cases, that he is considered a convict when the trial is still ongoing.

In Tuesday’s joint statement read by the lawyers, Mahathir said that he did not dispute that his statements were based on third parties’ information.

Zahid had two ongoing criminal cases. In one case, he was acquitted without his defence being called. In the other case, he was granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA).

In that case, Zahid’s defence was already called, but the prosecution said that it did not wish to continue the case.