Najib seeks to strike out Liong Sik's defence in defamation suit

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak is seeking to strike out the defence of former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik in a suit filed by Najib over a "libellous article".
High Court judge Nordin Hassan has fixed April 17 to deliver the outcome of the application by Najib on enclosure 8, the application to strike out all of Ling's defences.
Ling's lawyer Ranjit Singh told reporters outside the courtroom that the outcome of the application would determine if the case goes to trial.
Nor Emilia Mohd Iszeham who represented Najib said that the application to strike out the defences was made on Jan 21, 2016.
"We wish to strike out on grounds of fair comment. The impugned statements are not comments but rather statements and they failed to identify and state the particulars. Which are the comments?" she told reporters.
The High Court has set three days, beginning April 24, to hear the suit filed by Najib against Ling over an article posted on news portals three years ago.
Najib filed the suit on Oct 27, 2015, alleging that the statement made by the former transport minister in the article was libellous.
In his statement of claim, Najib said Ling had falsely and maliciously made the libellous statement on 1Malaysia Development Berhad at an event held in a university college in Kuala Lumpur and his statements were published in the article dated Oct 3, 2015.
On July 18, 2016, the court allowed an application by Najib to set aside an affidavit by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that was filed in support of Ling's application to strike out the suit.