Defamation suit filed against NSTP, BH reporter

KUALA LUMPUR: Synergy Promenade Sdn Bhd (SPSB) has filed a RM250 million defamation suit against The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) and a Berita Harian reporter yesterday.

In the suit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court here, the property company claimed that NSTP as the publisher of Malay daily Berita Harian and its reporter, Che Wan Badrul Alias, had published inaccurate news articles regarding SPSB and its involvement as the master developer of the Kuala Lumpur Vertical City (KLVC) project in Jalan Semarak.

The plaintiff stated that the reports and articles, which were carried by BH on the KLVC issue, did not conform with fair, ethical and accurate journalism wherein it had, among others, alleged SPSB had wrongfully transferred assets that belonged to Felda, leading it to suffer potential loss.

The company, in a statement, said a Notice of Action was served on both parties on June 1, seeking an apology and damages from them.

However, they failed to respond.

Besides seeking RM250 million in damages, the plaintiff is seeking an injunction order to prevent the defendant from republishing his statements.

The company is demanding the defendant publish an apology, based on the terms agreed upon by the plaintiff.

SPSB was alleged to have owned the Felda headquarters’ land.

BH recently published an exposé on Felda being at grave risk of losing ownership of a strategic piece of land worth RM270 million in Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur, following what has been described as a “dubious deal” in 2015.

BH reported the transfer of land ownership took place when Felda Investment Corporation appointed the company as its main developer.