Court throws out Anwar’s defamation suit against Anifah

The High Court has dismissed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defamation suit against Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman as the former opposition leader failed to prove his case on the balance of probability. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, October 29, 2015.

The High Court toda‎y dismissed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defamation suit against Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

In a proceeding that lasted less than five minutes, judge Siti Khadijah S. Hassan Badjenid ‎said Anwar had failed to prove his case on the balance of probability.

She did not read the grounds of judgment although copies were handed to the lawyers.

She also awarded Anifah RM20,000 in costs.

Anwar filed a RM100 million suit against Anifah in 2008, saying Anifah had uttered defamatory words about him during a news conference in Washington with former United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Anifah told reporters at that news conference that Anwar had offered him the post of deputy prime minister if he brought members of Parliament (MP) from Sabah to topple the Barisan Nasional government which had won 140 seats in the 2008 general election.

In his statement of claim, Anwar alleged that Anifah's claims were baseless, unfounded and grossly negligent and had been widely reported in local and foreign media.

On November 27 last year Anifah took the stand and said businessman Datuk Ishak Ismail, a close associate of Anwar, had offered him RM100 million to bring 10 MPs from Sabah to join Pakatan Rakyat and topple the federal government.

Anifah said he felt cheap when the offer was made by Ishak, a former KFC deputy executive chairman, at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur hotel.

Anifah, represented by Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, brought eight other witnesses.

- TMI