Sarawak Report has turned to crowdfunding to raise at least £30,000 (RM165,000) to defend against a suit by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
Hadi filed a defamation suit against Sarawak Report editor Claire Rewcastle-Brown in London on April 21 for alleging that he received RM90 million from Prime Minister Najib Razak.
“Our application has been adjourned so that the judge can see more details of our defence. That will take time and money,” Rewcastle-Brown said in an email statement.
“Were this to go to a full trial, the costs in the UK would amount to millions but for the moment we are looking to reach a target of around £30,000 (RM165,000) which is a modest assessment of the costs that will have been incurred by our side alone to reach that stage of placing this defence,” she said.
The suit is filed by Hadi in his personal capacity at the High Court of Justice in London on April 21 against Rewcastle-Brown. Hadi is represented by the Carter-Ruck law firm.
The suit is over a Sarawak Report article last year which alleged that PAS leaders received funds linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Hadi is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages and an injunction preventing Rewcastle-Brown from repeating the allegations.
“It is a frequent tactic to force a settlement from individuals by using court action that incurs costs that they know they have little chance of recovering if they wish to defend their position.
“We all know what the BN (Barisan Nasional) propaganda machine in Malaysia would do with any kind of settlement, which would be a shame, since we believe we have a robust defence to make,” said Rewcastle-Brown.
“For this reason we are asking supporters if they can help towards building a legal fund for this case, which has already cost thousands of pounds in legal fees,” she said, directing supporters to https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/defendsarawakreport/
Rewcastle-Brown said that if the base target is not reached, the money will be returned to the donors.
– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com
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