Ting sues Sarawak minister, publisher over bankrupt claim

The Pujut assemblyman is reportedly seeking unspecified damages from Wong Soon Koh and Borneo Post Sdn Bhd, as well as a court restraint on the respondents from repeating the statement.

PETALING JAYA: Pujut assemblyman Dr Ting Tiong Choon is suing Sarawak International Trade and E-Commerce Minister Wong Soon Koh and the publisher of the Borneo Post over allegations that he was a bankrupt in Australia.

According to The Malay Mail Online, Ting’s lawyer Wong King Wei said the DAP representative had filed a defamation suit over Soon Koh’s allegation which was published in the Borneo Post on May 16 under the headline “Chong diverting attention from the main issue”.

“As a result of the publication of the defamatory words, the plaintiff has suffered serious injury to his personal and professional reputation as a medical doctor and state assemblyman,” King Wei was quoted as saying.

Ting is reportedly seeking unspecified damages from Soon Koh and Borneo Post Sdn Bhd, as well as a court restraint on the respondents from repeating the statement.

On May 12, Ting was dismissed as an elected representative under Article 17(1)(g) of the state constitution for voluntarily acquiring citizenship outside Malaysia.

The motion, tabled by Soon Koh who is also Sarawak second finance minister, was put to a vote and received the support of 70 Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers who voted in favour of it. All 10 opposition members voted against it.

On June 17, though, the Kuching High Court ruled in Ting’s favour in a suit that he and DAP had filed against the state legislative assembly over his disqualification.

This was after Soon Koh had called Ting a bankrupt based on a search which he said he had conducted last July.

The search was made on July 1, 2016, on the Bankruptcy Register Search, of the Australian Financial Security Authority, Soon Koh said.

“He was declared bankrupt in 2012. But up to date, the Australian authority official document still proved that he is a bankrupt. Knowing that, Ahli Yang Berhormat for Pujut came home just three weeks before the state election.

“Meaning, he came home perhaps in April sometime. Because the election was held on May 7. Looks like he never dealt with this financial matter in Australia. Otherwise, when I searched on July 1, 2016, on the Bankruptcy Register Search… why did his name still appear on the list?” Soon Koh said. - FMT