Malacca Umno Youth treasurer Mohd Noor Helmy has been ordered to pay Putra Specialist Hospital’s former CEO Chong May Lee RM150,000 after the latter won a defamation suit against him today.
When contacted, Chong’s counsel Desmond Ho said Malacca Sessions Court judge Elesabet Paya Wan ruled this morning that the defendant is to pay RM120,000 in general damages as well as RM30,000 in special damages.
The Umno leader will also need to withdraw his June 26, 2019 offending press statement and apologise to Chong (above) in “all local newspapers”.
The judge further ordered him to post his apology as well as an announcement about withdrawing his offending press statement on the Kota Melaka Umno Facebook page for a period of 30 continuous days.
Ho said that the defendant did not indicate today if he will appeal and has 14 days to make a decision.
Chong filed her defamation suit on Oct 23, 2019 after the Umno leader issued a press statement criticising the hospital over its treatment of staff and alleged “cronyism”.
She previously denied the accusations.
“The defendant's argument was that he was just relaying a complaint from a former employee of the hospital (but) that employee was not called as a witness in court.
“The plaintiff, of course, deemed (the allegation) to be a direct attack on her personally,” Ho told Malaysiakini today.
The hospital is owned by the Malacca state government.
Following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan state government, Chong, who helms the Malacca DAP women’s wing, was removed from her post at the hospital. - Mkini
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