NSTP to pay Guan Eng RM300,000 for defamatory article

GEORGE TOWN: The High Court has ordered New Straits Times Press Bhd (NSTP) to pay RM300,000 in damages to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over a defamatory article on a court proceeding last year.
High Court Judge Datuk Rosilah Yop also ordered NSTP to pay RM30,000 in costs to Lim.
She said the article in Berita Harian (BH) was defamatory as the court viewed seriously the newspaper's imputed statements.
"Plaintiff succeeded on balance of probabilities against the defendant," she said in delivering her judgement.
Lim's defamation suit against NSTP, the publisher of BH came after the two-term chief minister filed the suit against the paper for a Aug 20, 2015, report titled "Guan Eng tarik balik saman terhadap bekas Ketua Pemuda Umno Negeri."
The report was on a defamation case between Lim and Bagan Umno division chief Datuk Shaik Hussein Mydin over a Oct 5, 2012, statement made by the latter.
The case was settled in a four-point consent judgement recorded before High Court Judicial Commissioner Datuk Nordin Hassan on Aug 19, 2015, where Shaik Hussein unconditionally and willingly withdrew his statement and for Lim to also withdraw his claim against the former.
In his statement of claim, Lim claimed the impugned statements in the news report did not constitute nor represent a fair and accurate report of the judicial proceeding at the High Court.
Counsel Simon Murali represented Lim while NSTP was represented by Leong Wai Hong.