Part of a defamation suit initiated by Jamilah Taib Murray, daughter of former Sarawak governor Abdul Taib Mahmud, against an environmental group has been struck out.
Swiss-based non-profit Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) said the Basel Civil Court rejected a bid to ban seven statements, which was sought by Jamilah (above), her husband Sean Murray, and her Canada-based real estate corporation Sakto Group.
“The court ruled that the legal request by the plaintiffs for a ban was too broadly formulated as the BMF had not made the statements in this form,” the group said in a statement today.
The statements, among others, accused the plaintiffs of corruption, money laundering, and stealing assets from the people of Sarawak.
BMF added that the court also rejected a request to delete all publications containing those statements.
However, it said the court had not yet ruled on 259 text passages that the plaintiffs are also seeking to delete.
BMF managing director Lukas Strauman hailed the partial ruling.
“We are confident that we will also win the remaining parts of the case in full,” he said.
BMF had been at the forefront of scrutinising the wealth of the late Abdul Taib, amid accusations he amassed a vast amount of wealth during his 33-year stint as Sarawak’s chief minister.
In an earlier filing, when seeking an injunction, Sakto said the impression BMF had created was “wrong and damaging” against the company’s reputation and business.
It noted that since 2010, the non-profit had filed and sent numerous complaints and letters about the company to various authorities across six jurisdictions.
The real estate corporation denied the allegations, calling them “untruthful theories about Sakto presented as facts”.
In 2017, BMF produced an 86-page report titled “Safe Haven Canada”, detailing Taib’s alleged business empire in the country. - Mkini
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