March dates to hear defamation suit against former NFCorp consultant

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday set three days from March 28 next year for the hearing of a defamation suit filed by National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFCorp) executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh against the company’s former consultant, Shamsubahrin Ismail, over the latter’s Facebook postings.

Judicial Commissioner Datuk Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab made the decision in chambers in the presence of counsel Al Firdaus Shahrul Naing, for Mohamad Salleh, and J. Leela, who represented Shamsubahrin.

On July 3, Mohamad Salleh filed a defamation suit against Shamsubahrin for uploading defamatory statements onto his Facebook page on Mohamad Salleh. In his statement of claim, Mohamad Salleh accused Shamsubahrin of uploading six defamatory statements on him onto his Facebook page using the name Shamsubahrin Ismail Tom, between May 19 and June 23, which were accessible to the public.

He said the defamatory statements were made after Sessions Court judge Rozilah Salleh sentenced Shamsubahrin to eight years’ jail and four strokes of the cane on May 18 on charges of deceiving Mohamad Salleh of RM1.75 million and on 17 money laundering charges.

Mohamad Salleh, the plaintiff, said Shamsubahrin alleged he was made the scapegoat and was convicted by the court as a way for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Malaysian government to protect the plaintiff, as well as to enable the AttorneyGeneral’s Chambers to drop the criminal breach of trust case against the plaintiff.

Mohamad Salleh claimed the defamatory words brought the meaning that he abetted with his wife Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to influence judge Rozilah in finding Shamsubahrin guilty.

Apart from that, he said, the defamatory words also connoted that he had influenced the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers to not take action against him. Bernama