The defamation suits filed by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil against blogger Wan Azri Wan Deris, or “Papagomo”, and Facebook user Fauzan Madzlan were settled today.
The suits were over allegations that Fahmi gave a political speech at a mosque in Rawang, Selangor.
Fahmi’s lawyer, Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi, said at a press conference that the Papagomo case had been resolved amicably.
“This joint statement confirms that, after reviewing additional explanations and official statements in the newspapers, the plaintiff’s (Fahmi’s) speech at Masjid Nurul Yaqin, Kuang, Rawang, Selangor, on July 30, 2023, was not a political campaign or a politically motivated statement.
“The matter stemmed from a misunderstanding that shouldn’t have arisen, and both parties have agreed not to make any statements beyond what’s set out in this joint statement,” said the lawyer.
This was after High Court proceedings before judge Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan.
On the suit against Fauzan, Fahmi’s lawyer, Fahri Azzat, informed the judge that both parties had reached a settlement and agreed to a consent judgment.
Raja Mohzanuddin then recorded the consent judgment to formally conclude the case.
Fauzan’s lawyer, Zamri Ibrahim, also confirmed the matter.
Asheeq Ali said the consent judgment contained two mutually agreed-upon terms.
“The defendant expressed regret over a Facebook post dated July 31, 2023, which was the subject of the present case. Two key points were agreed upon: first, the defendant acknowledged that Fahmi’s speech was neither a political campaign nor politically motivated.
“Second, the defendant regretted any misunderstanding arising from the statement posted on the Facebook page ‘N13 Kuang’.
“The defendant sincerely confirmed that Fahmi’s speech on July 30, 2023, at the Nurul Yaqin Mosque, Kampung Melayu Seri Kundang, Rawang, Selangor, during the 15th Selangor state election period, was not a political campaign or a politically charged speech,” the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, Asheeq said the defamation suit against independent preacher Ahmad Dusuki Abd Rani will proceed to trial tomorrow, after the parties failed to settle, with Fahmi set to begin giving his testimony.
Fahmi thanked his legal team for handling the mediation between two of the three defendants.
“Two of the three cases have cleared my name. The earlier allegations were unfair, baseless, and defamatory. I hope that in the future, people will verify their facts before posting on social media and take lessons from this incident,” he said.
Defamation suits
Based on the writ of summons and statement of claim filed on Sept 5, 2023, Fahmi claimed that all three defendants published defamatory statements accusing him of misusing a place of worship, namely a mosque, for election campaign purposes and acting contrary to the Selangor sultan’s directives.
Fahmi claimed that the defamatory statements were posted on Fauzan’s Facebook account and Dusuki’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on July 31, 2023, and on Wan Azri’s TikTok and Facebook accounts on Aug 1, 2023.
He further asserted that the statements were baseless and that the Selangor Islamic Religious Council had confirmed that he did not deliver any politically charged speech, contrary to the allegations made by the defendants.
Accordingly, he sought general, aggravated, or exemplary damages, as well as an injunction to prevent the defendants from repeating or causing the republication of the said statements.
- Bernama
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