Former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo has withdrawn his suit against Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 13, 2014.
Former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo today withdrew his RM10 million defamation suit against Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim over the latter's expose of a scandal involving the former state chief executive and a luxury mansion in Shah Alam.
Dr Khir's counsel M. Athimulam informed judicial commissioner Datuk Azimah Omar about his client's instruction.
Athimulan also asked for no costs to be paid to Ng.
Lawyer M. Manoharan, who appeared for Ng, did not object to the request.
The judge then struck out the suit with no order to costs.
Dr Khir, 50, was not present in court.
Ng told reporters that Dr Khir's retraction of the suit was a moral victory for him.
"My claim is not baseless nor intended to injure his reputation," Ng said.
In the suit filed in January 2010, Dr Khir claimed that Ng had tried to tarnish his image in a public statement on the former menteri besar's ownership of a bungalow.
Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim speaking to reporters outside the court. – The Malaysian Insider pic, November 13, 2014.Ng denied the claim, saying he had conditional justification to expose any abuse of power by public officials and that the statement was not defamatory either in fact or law.
Ng, a three-term DAP assemblyman, said his statement was fair comment made in the public's interest and was factually true.
The statement issued on July 6, 2009, alleged that Dr Khir spent RM24 million to buy a bungalow in Section 7 in Shah Alam when his annual income was estimated at RM576,000 and only came up to RM4.6 million for the eight years that he was Selangor menteri besar.
Dr Khir refuted the allegation and claimed he bought the bungalow at RM3.5 million with a 30-year bank loan.
However, on December 6, 2010, Dr Khir was charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court for corruption involving the purchase of two lots of land and a bungalow in Section 7.
He later faced trial at the High Court and was convicted in December 2011, and sentenced to 12 months' jail.
The trial court also ordered the accused to forfeit ownership of the property and hand it over to the government.
Dr Khir was accused of obtaining for himself and his wife, Zahrah Kechik, 46, the plots and a house at No.8 and 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1L, in Shah Alam from Ditamas Sdn Bhd through one of its directors.
The former Sungai Panjang state assemblyman committed the offence at the official residence of the Selangor menteri besar in Shah Alam on May 29, 2007.
The Court of Appeal upheld Dr Khir's conviction and sentence and his final appeal is now before the Federal Court.
- TMI
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