Nizar awarded RM200k in damages in his defamation suit against TV3

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Perak mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (pix) was today awarded RM200,000 in damages in his defamation suit in relation to his tweets over vehicle registration number "WWW1" four years ago.
High Court registrar Hanie Dzatul Akhmar Zulkifli ordered Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad (TV3) to pay the amount in chambers.
Speaking to reporters later, lawyer Mohd Fitri Asmuni, representing Nizar, said the High Court awarded the RM200,000 to Nizar for his defamation suit against TV3 and it includes for exemplary and aggravated damages.
"In giving the decision, the court considered the status of the plaintiff, the act of the defendant, the coverage of the news, the impact to Nizar and the nature of the defamatory statement," he said, adding it found the defamation to be very serious.
Nizar, in his statement of claim filed in June 2012, said he had issued a statement through his Twitter account on May 28, 2012, concerning the vehicle number plate. He claimed that on May 30 2012, TV3 carried the news about the Twitter statement over its 8pm, Bulletin Utama news slot. (The number plate "WWW1" was successfully bid for RM520,000 by the Sultan of Johor in May 2012).
The High Court dismissed Nizar's RM50 million defamation suit against TV3 and on appeal, the Appeal Court set aside the High Court decision in 2014. The Federal Court upheld the Appeal Court's decision and the case was remitted back to High Court. — Bernama