Court proposes mediation in Teresa Kok’s suit against Jamal

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday proposed that Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok who filed a libel suit against Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos over alleged misuse of Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas) funds, resolve the case via mediation.

Counsel K. Murali, who represented Kok, told this to reporters after case management held in chambers before judge Datuk Ahmad Bache, that was also attended by counsel Mohamad Fauzi Abdul Samad, representing Jamal.

Murali said the court asked the parties involved to resolve the case through the mediation process.

“The court also set Jan 10 for case management to know the progress of the mediation process,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Fauzi said that if no settlement was reached by then, the court fixed two days from April 29 next year for hearing of the case.

On April 6, 2017, Kok as the plaintiff, filed the suit against Jamal, who is Sungai Besar Umno division chief, over his defamatory statement pertaining to Yawas’ funds during a news conference on March 8, 2017.

In her statement of claim, Kok claimed that the statement was published by the print and electronic media, as well as Jamal’s Facebook page.

Kok, who is also Seputeh MP, claimed that the defamatory statement, among others, gave the impression that she had misused state government funds for her own use and was an unethical person.

She is seeking RM1 million in general damages, compensatory damages, aggravated damages and exemplary damages, and an injunction to prevent Jamal from making further such claims in the media. - Bernama