Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos said he plans to auction several pairs of his slippers and shoes to pay DAP lawmaker Teresa Kok following a court-ordered debt.
His remarks came after police and court officials forced entry into his home in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, earlier today to recover outstanding judgment costs from a defamation suit filed by the Seputeh MP.
When met at his house, Jamal (above, left) said the issue could have been resolved amicably and expressed disappointment over the enforcement action.
"InsyaAllah, RM60,000 is not that much, but for a cancer patient like me, it is also not a small amount.
"Media reported that items were seized from my house, but what actually happened was they just came to make a list (of the valuables). The items are still here,” he told reporters.
Jamal questioned Kok’s decision to pursue forced entry, saying it was excessive just for an outstanding sum of RM66,061.85.
"For a case like this, I don't think it fits someone like Kok, who is an MP, to go to the extent of forcing entry just for RM66,000.
"I think there was ill intention behind this incident. So to settle this, tomorrow I plan to auction two or three pairs of my shoes, my slippers, so I can afford to pay Kok the RM66,000... I think just with my slippers I can solve this problem," he added.
Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that police were instructed to effect a forced entry into Jamal's home after no response from the occupants to calls and the doorbell.
Kok’s lawyer, Sankara Nair, said assistant registrar Qasiratul Jannah Usmani Othman issued the instruction, and the writ of seizure and sale was executed to recover the outstanding judgment sum.
Defamation suit
In April 2017, the DAP MP filed a defamation suit against Jamal, the leader of the notorious Umno-linked “red shirts”, over statements he made during a press conference regarding the Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor funds.
Kok alleged that Jamal had implied she misappropriated state government funds for personal gain and had portrayed her as unethical.
In July 2022, the High Court awarded Kok RM300,000 in damages and ordered Jamal to pay RM50,000 in costs. Two years later, the Court of Appeal dismissed Jamal’s appeal and again directed him to pay RM50,000 in legal costs.
On March 29, 2023, a different Court of Appeal panel allowed Jamal to defer payment of the RM300,000 damages but required him to deposit the sum with Kok’s law firm pending the disposal of his Federal Court appeal.
The Federal Court rejected Jamal’s application for leave to appeal on July 30, 2024, ruling that it did not meet the threshold under Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.
‘Deliberately done to humiliate’
Jamal said he would lodge a police report regarding the forced entry, which also saw the presence of the media.
The Umno leader accused Kok of violating his privacy in inviting the press to his house.
"I think this is something we could have settled over a discussion. I still could accept it if they had only broken my gate, because there are several vehicles inside that I believe are worth more than RM60,000.
"I have a feeling that this was deliberately done to humiliate me. If she really wanted the RM66,000, she could have informed my lawyer that she disagrees with what we have already agreed to.
"No need to bring the media to my house," he said. - Mkini
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