PUTRAJAYA: Umno Sungai Besar division chief Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos was today ordered to deposit RM300,000 into the account of former Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim’s solicitor within 21 days from today as a stakeholder pending the disposal of his appeal at the Court of Appeal.
A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Datuk Datuk Yaacob Md Sam made the order after allowing Jamal’s application for a stay of the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling that he pay RM300,000 in damages to Teresa Kok.
“Having considered the submissions and the cause paper, we find that there is merit for this application to be allowed, but with the condition that the judgment sum of RM300,000 be deposited into the account of Kok’s solicitor and to be held as a stakeholder for the parties pending the disposal of the appeal before the Court of Appeal,” said judge Yaacob, sitting with Judges Datuk M. Gunalan and Datuk Azimah Omar.
Kok was awarded RM300,000 in damages by the Kuala Lumpur High Court after winning a defamation suit filed against Jamal over the alleged misuse of Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas) funds. Jamal then appealed against the decision.
When asked by Justice Yaacob whether the court can order the money to be paid within 14 days from today, Jamal’s counsel Rejinder Singh requested a month for his client to source for the fund.
However, Judge Azimah questioned the counsel saying that there was an averment in Jamal’s affidavit that he had the money.
Judge Yaacob then ordered that the money be paid within 21 days pending the appeal by the appellant before the Court of Appeal.
Earlier, Rejinder applied for the stay as the defamation judgment sum, coupled with costs, was a heavy sum and the main appeal may be rendered nugatory (pointless) if the stay was not granted.
He said Jamal was a politician and that a bankruptcy status would affect his chance of standing in any state election.
However, Kok’s counsel, Datuk S. N. Nair, argued that Jamal already had the money which was raised via crowdfunding and that he should just pay Kok.
On July 26 last year, High Court Judicial Commissioner Datuk Mohd Arief Emran Arifin also ordered Jamal to pay cost of RM50,000 to Kok.
Kok filed the suit on April 6, 2017, over an allegedly defamatory statement by Jamal about Yawas funds during a news conference on March 8, 2017.
In her statement of claim, she said the statement was published by both the print and electronic media, as well as on Jamal’s Facebook page. She claimed that the statement, among others, gave the impression that she had misused state government funds for herself and was an unethical person. – BERNAMA
