Rewcastle Brown wants charge for defaming Terengganu sultanah dropped

In representations to the AGC, the Sarawak Report editor says she is unlikely to appear in a Malaysian court.

In December 2025, the Kuala Terengganu High Court set aside Clare Rewcastle Brown’s conviction and sentence to two years in jail for criminally defaming Sultanah Nur Zahirah.

PETALING JAYA:

 British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown has asked that her criminal defamation charge involving Terengganu’s Sultanah Nur Zahirah be dropped on grounds she is based in the UK and unlikely to be present in a Malaysian court.

The Sarawak Report editor made the plea in representations filed with the Attorney‑General’s Chambers after the Kuala Terengganu High Court set aside her conviction and two‑year jail term for criminally defaming the sultanah.

Last month, Justice Radzi Harun ruled the conviction invalid as Rewcastle Brown was not physically present in court when facing criminal charges. He also directed that the case be reheard.

In a letter to the AGC sighted by FMT, Rewcastle Brown’s lawyers, Guok Partnership, said “a person can only be regarded as an ‘accused’ if brought before the court, which is not the case here”.

The letter also contended that the criminal charge ought to be withdrawn as Rewcastle Brown and two others have already been found liable by the Court of Appeal for defamation in a civil suit brought by the sultanah.

Sultanah Nur Zahirah had initiated the suit in 2018, claiming that Rewcastle Brown had disparaged her in her book, “The Sarawak Report: The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose”, which tells the story behind its investigations into the 1MDB scandal.

The sultanah claimed a statement in the book suggested that she was involved in corrupt practices, had interfered in Terengganu’s administration, and used her status to influence the establishment of the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), as 1MDB was previously known.

She further alleged that the statement could be construed to mean that she had helped Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, secure his position as adviser to TIA.

In 2022, the High Court ruled that the statement was not defamatory of the sultanah.

However, in December 2023, the Court of Appeal overturned that decision and awarded damages of RM300,000 and RM120,000 in costs against Rewcastle Brown, publisher Chong Ton Sin and printer Vinlin Press Sdn Bhd.

In September 2024, Rewcastle Brown and her co-defendants failed to secure leave to challenge the decision in the Federal Court. - FMT