Najib drops defamation suit against Ling

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has withdrawn the defamation suit filed against former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik over the publication of an article in a news portal which alleged the former prime minister abused funds belonging 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Counsel Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, who represented Najib, informed the media after a case management in the chambers of High Court judicial commissioner Darryl Goon Siew Chye, who later recorded the joint agreement to drop the suit.

Present at the proceedings was Ranjit Singh, who represented Dr Ling.

On the reasons to withdraw the suit, Hafarizam said he had advised his client to drop the suit following a change in the political landscape of the country and there were more important matters to attend to.

Ranjit said the court had cancelled Najib’s suit without the liberty to refile the suit and ordered the former prime minister to pay RM25,000 in cost.

Ranjit said his client (Dr Ling) withdrew the counter-claim filed against Najib on Dec 14, 2015 without the liberty for the former MCA president to refile the suit.

On Oct 27, 2015, Najib, in his personal capacity, filed a suit against Dr Ling after alleging that the former transport minister made slanderous statements against him in an article published in a news portal on Oct 3, 2015.

In his statement of claim, Najib said Dr Ling had falsely and maliciously issued a defamatory statement at a Tunku Abdul Rahman University College event here by alleging that he (Najib) had abused public funds for his personal interest.

On July 18, 2016, the court allowed an application by Najib to set aside Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s affidavit in support of Dr Ling to strike out the suit.

On March 16 this year, the High Court rejected an application by Dr Ling to cancel the suit filed by Najib.