Umno division chief applies to have defamation suits by Yeo, Kok heard jointly

KUALA LUMPUR: Sungai Besar Umno division chief Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos yesterday applied to the High Court here to have the defamation suits filed against him by two Cabinet ministers, heard jointly.

Primary Industries Minister, Teresa Kok Suh Sim, and Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister, Yeo Bee Yin, filed their respective suits on April 6 and June 14, 2017, claiming that Jamal had made defamatory statements about them concerning the misappropriation of funds belonging to foundation, Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas).

Lawyer Rejinder Singh, who is representing Jamal, said his client made the application for the joint trial because both cases involve the misappropriation of Yawas funds and the same witnesses.

Both the plaintiffs and the defence made submissions on the matter today in the chambers of High Court judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusoff who fixed March 6 for a decision on whether a joint trial will be allowed, said Rejinder to reporters after the hearing.

Both Kok and Yeo are claiming that Jamal, the sole defendant in the suits, had issued defamatory statements against them concerning the misappropriation of Yawas funds, and that the statements were published in the print and electronic media, including Jamal's Facebook page.

The ministers further claim, among others, that the defamatory statements gave the impression that the plaintiffs had misappropriated Yawas funds for their own use, and that they were unethical and could not be trusted.

Both Kok and Yeo are claiming general damages comprising RM1 million and RM5 million respectively, along with compensatory, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as an injunction to prevent the defendant and any of his agents from republishing the defamatory statements.