Against all odds, a single used slipper and a well-travelled protest towel have helped Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos raise RM66,000 at a private auction this morning.
The sum he owed was in outstanding court costs from a defamation case brought by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok.
Yes, one slipper. Not a pair. One.
Jamal’s lawyer Imran Thamrin confirmed to Malaysiakini that the auction was held at Jamal’s house and overseen by a professional and licensed auctioneer.
The star lot was the towel Jamal famously wore during his 2016 protest outside the Selangor State Secretariat building - a garment that has, against all reasonable expectations, appreciated considerably in value since its debut.
Both the slipper and the used towel fetched a remarkable RM33,000 each - a figure that could rival top-tier designer labels.
Malaysiakini reported yesterday that the court-ordered auction on 14 of Jamal’s assets seized in January has been postponed due to a last-minute application filed by the politician’s son.
“There was a personal auction held this morning at Jamal’s house, and as a result of this sale, both items were successfully auctioned off with a total of RM66,000 collected.
“(The buyers told us) that they were willing to buy the towel and slippers because of sentimental value; yes, the towel auctioned was the one that he wore during the protest at the state secretariat building in 2016, while the slippers are the usual ones he wore daily.
“Some of the attendees at the auction were members of the public and some of Jamal’s friends and acquaintances who wanted to help him,” Imran said.
The lawyer added that about a dozen people, out of 30 to 40 attendees, had registered and paid the deposit to join the auction, where the bid for the two items began at RM10,000.
Defaming Teresa
The Kuala Lumpur High Court, in 2022, ordered Jamal to pay RM300,000 in damages and RM50,000 legal costs to a defamation suit filed by Kok against him, over statements he made during a press conference concerning Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor funds.
Kok, in her suit, alleged that Jamal had implied she misappropriated state government funds for personal gain and portrayed her as unethical.
Jamal then appealed against the High Court’s verdict. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal in 2024 and directed him to pay RM50,000 in costs.
On March 29, 2023, a different Court of Appeal panel allowed Jamal to defer payment of the RM300,000 damages, but ordered him to deposit the sum with Kok’s law firm pending the outcome of his Federal Court appeal.
On July 30, 2024, the Federal Court rejected Jamal’s application for leave to appeal, ruling that it did not meet the threshold under Section 96 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964.
The court had seized 14 of Jamal’s items on Jan 28 to recover RM66,061.85 in outstanding legal costs owed to Kok.
On the same day, Jamal told reporters that he planned to auction several pairs of his slippers and shoes to pay Kok. - Mkini
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