Farhash drops temporary injunction bid against MalaysiaNow

 

Businessperson Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak and two others have withdrawn their bid for a temporary injunction against MalaysiaNow and its editor Abdar Rahman Koya in an ongoing defamation suit.

The defendant’s lawyer, Rajesh Nagarajan, confirmed the matter to the media in a statement today.

“By a letter dated May 13, Messrs Ahmad Daniel Ruben & Co, solicitors for the plaintiffs, informed Messrs Raj & Sach, solicitors for the defendants, that the injunction proceedings had, in their view, become redundant and that they had been instructed to withdraw the appeal.

“When the matter came before the Court of Appeal on May 14 (today), the plaintiffs formally withdrew their appeal. The court then directed parties to address the issue of costs.

“On behalf of the defendants, it was submitted that the plaintiffs’ conduct in pursuing and subsequently withdrawing the appeal had occasioned substantial and unnecessary expenditure of time and legal costs.

“The defendants further highlighted that the costs of RM5,000 awarded by the High Court on Sept 4, 2025, remain outstanding and unpaid,” the statement read.

Rajesh said the court awarded RM10,000 in costs to the defendant after hearing the parties’ submissions.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the plaintiff’s counsel, Rajan Navaratnam, for a response.

Defamation suit

Farhash, together with Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd and Aminudin Mustapha, filed a defamation suit against MalaysiaNow and Rahman on July 10 last year, seeking RM10 million in damages over articles they claimed tarnished their reputation in the corporate world.

In their affidavits, the plaintiffs said the news articles affected their careers and business ties by depicting them as having abused their positions to obtain a mining licence illegally.

Apart from financial damages, the plaintiffs are also seeking aggravated, exemplary, and punitive damages, as well as a court order for the defendants to publish a full, unconditional, and public apology on the portal.

MalaysiaNow editor Abdar Rahman Koya

They also want five percent interest per annum and for the articles to be removed from the news site.

The plaintiffs sought an injunction against the defendants last year, which was dismissed by the Shah Alam High Court on Sept 4 and by the Court of Appeal on Oct 8.

Rajesh told Malaysiakini, when contacted, that the case trial would proceed as scheduled on Oct 4-7, 2027, following the plaintiff’s appeal withdrawal. - Mkini