SHAH ALAM (March 5): Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has won his defamation suit against former Ampang member of Parliament Zuraida Kamaruddin and MNow Media Sdn Bhd, which operates the MalaysiaNow portal.
The suit centred on statements made by Zuraida during the Kuala Kubu Bharu by-election in 2024. Zuraida, a former housing and local government minister, had alleged that Lim — during his tenure as finance minister — had failed to approve the budget for a People's Housing Project in Bestari Jaya consisting of over 200 units.
Lim had rubbished the claim as "patently untrue", disparaging and libellous.
On Thursday, Judicial Commissioner Dr Shoba Rajah ruled that Zuraida failed to establish her legal defences and held that the statements published by the news portal were indeed defamatory.
Consequently, the court ordered Zuraida and MNow Media to jointly pay RM50,000 in total damages and RM5,000 in costs. An injunction was also granted to restrain the defendants from further publishing the defamatory statements.
The decision was confirmed by Lim's lead counsel, Datuk N Sankara Nair. In a statement, he noted that lawyer Maniggandan Gopalan from Messrs SN Nair & Partners also appeared for Lim, while Nizamuddin Abdul Hamid of Messrs Zharif Nizamuddin appeared for Zuraida and MNow Media.
Nizamuddin also confirmed the outcome of the case with The Edge.
Lim and his former political secretary Tony Pua had testified in the trial earlier this year against the defendants. The defence called Zuraida, former housing and local government director general Datuk N Jayaselan and MalaysiaNow editor Abdar Rahman Koya as witnesses.
In his 2024 filing, Lim alleged that Zuraida's words painted him as racist and intent on disrupting racial harmony, dishonest and non-transparent in his official duties, as well as inhumane, suggesting he disregarded the welfare of Kuala Kubu Bharu residents.
The Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman maintained that the published allegations damaged his international reputation as a veteran politician of grit and integrity.