Utusan apologises for defaming Syed Husin Ali

Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia apologised to Senator Syed Husin Ali today in the settlement of a defamation suit brought agaist the Malay daily by the former PKR deputy president.

Syed Husin (left) said in a tweet thatUtusan has apologised to him and would publish its apology.

"Utusan and (former PKR member and now Kita leader) Zamil Ibrahim had defamed me and Zamil will be dealt with separately," the veteran politician said in his tweet.

The settlement was recorded before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Su Geok Yiam.

Utusan Malaysia also agreed to pay costs to Syed Husin, but the sum was not disclosed by the parties.

Zamil and Utusan had defamed Syed Husin by accusing him ofaccepting RM500,000 to disband Parti Rakyat Malaysia and join with PKR in early 2000.

Syed Husin filed a RM10 million suit over the article, titled ‘'RM500,000: Syed Husin dicabar lapor polis' (RM500,000: Syed Husin is challenged to make a police report).

Syed Husin was represented by L Bani Prakash.

He named Utusan Melayu Publications (M) Bhd, its editor Mohd Hassan Mohd Noor and Zamil as defendants. However, the settlement entered into today involved only Utusan and Mohd Hassan.

Bani Prakash when contacted by Malaysiakini said a judgment in default was entered against Zamil on Aug 24, 2010, when he did not appear in court. A separate date will be set to handle this matter.

Apology to be published within 10 days

He said Utusan handed a settlement statement in court that said: “We retract to the statements made and apologise to Syed Husin Ali and promise not to repeat such defamatory statements again.”

Bani said Utusan has 10 working days from today to publish the agreed statement of apology on page 8 of its daily. 

It is also stated in the suit that the Utusan article was based on a blog posting. 

Syed Husin had claimed that Zamil had, on or before March 6, 2010, spoken to an Utusan Malaysia journalist, and the article published meant that the (then) PKR deputy president was guilty of corrupt practices, committed a criminal offence and painted a picture that the politician is a hypocrite, unfit to be a politician, betrayed his party colleagues, was unprincipled and unfit to hold the post of PKR deputy president.

During this year alone, Utusan has apologised to constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari, PAS vice-president Husam Musa,  former PKR Indera Mahkota MP, Azan Ismail and lawyer Rosli Dahlan.