Two judges recuse themselves from Rafizi's lawsuit

PUTRAJAYA: Two Court of Appeal of judges recused themselves from hearing an appeal brought by Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli over an order to pay RM200,000 in damages today.
The panel of judges led by Datuk Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Datuk Mary Lim recused themselves, as they were also in a three-member panel of Court of Appeal judges in a defamatory suit involving Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
"After having considered submissions, we are of the view, that in the interest of justice, we will not hear the case," said Abang Iskandar.
He said the case will be heard before a new panel of judges.
Case management has been fixed on March 23, 2018.
Rafizi is appealing against a High Court decision, which ordered him to pay damages to National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFCorp) executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail and the company for defaming them over the purchase of a property in KL Eco City, Bangsar.
The High Court judge had ordered Rafizi to pay damages of RM150,000 to Mohamad Salleh and RM50,000 to his company.
However, the court dismissed Mohamad Salleh and NFCorp's suit against the owner of Malaysiakini, who was named as the second defendant and ordered the plaintiffs to pay cost of RM50,000 to the news portal.
Mohamad Salleh and NFCorp filed a defamation suit on June 3, 2013, claiming that on March 7, 2012, Rafizi had made a defamatory statement at a media conference at the PKR Office on the purchase of KL Eco City properties which was published by Malaysiakini on the same day.
On July 10, 2017, the judges had heard an appeal in relation to a defamation suit by NFCorp and Mohamad Salleh against Nurul Izzah and PKR over a statement regarding the purchase of eight units at the KL Eco City project.
The two judges dismissed the appeal by NFCorp and Salleh with RM50,000 costs to Nurul Izzah and party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution.
On Dec 24, 2013, Salleh and the company filed the suit against Nurul Izzah and Saifuddin, alleging that Nurul Izzah had slandered them in her comments on the alleged disclosure by Rafizi Ramli, who was the former PKR strategy director.
Salleh and NFCorp claimed that Nurul Izzah had made the slanderous statement on Malaysiakini TV on March 7, 2012.