Aug 1 hearing of Sultanah Nur Zahirah’s suit against Rewcastle-Brown

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court yesterday fixed four days starting Aug 1 for the trial of the Sultanah of Terengganu, Sultanah Nur Zahirah’s defamation suit against Sarawak Report editor, Clare Rewcastle-Brown, and two others over alleged defamatory statements in the book, “The Sarawak Report - The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose’.

Lawyer Datuk Mohd Haaziq Pillay, who represented Sultanah Nur Zahirah, told reporters that deputy registrar Rini Triany Muhamad Ali set the trial from Aug 1-4 and Oct 6-7 during the case management which took place online today.

Lawyer Mervyn Lai, representing Rewcastle-Brown, Gerakbudaya Enterprise publisher Chong Ton Sin and printer Vinlin Press Sdn Bhd as the first to the third defendants also attended today’s proceedings.

The trial of the defamation suit will be heard before Judicial Commissioner Dr John Lee Kien How @ Mohd Johan Lee.

On March 28, the High Court here dismissed Rewcastle-Brown’s bid to stay the hearing of the suit.

Sultanah Nur Zahirah filed the suit on Nov 21, 2018, claiming that the said statement, among others, meant that she was involved in corruption and interfering in the administration of the Terengganu government, besides using her status to influence the establishment of the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), later known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Sultanah Nur Zahirah contended that the statement meant that she had helped fugitive businessman Jho Low or Low Taek Jho to become a TIA adviser.

The Sultanah is claiming general damages of RM100 million from each defendant and is also seeking an order for the publisher to withdraw the book containing the defamatory statement and for the printer to stop printing the book.

In their defence statements, the three defendants denied making allegations that the plaintiff was involved in corrupt practices.

Rewcastle-Brown also claimed that Sarawak Report had never suggested that the plaintiff was involved in a conspiracy involving Jho Low and had also never suggested that the plaintiff was involved in the government’s administration related to 1MDB affairs.