PM gets ad interim injunction against news portal in defamation suit

 

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the article in Agenda Daily gave the impression that he was concerned only about his position and did not care for the people. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has granted Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob an ad interim injunction against the owner of news portal Agenda Daily in his defamation suit over an article it had published.

Ismail is suing Agenda Daily for its article titled “Ismail Sabri bimbang jadi PM paling singkat, ‘rayu’ jangan tarik sokongan” (“Ismail Sabri concerned about being the PM with the shortest tenure, begs not to pull out support”), that implied he had begged his Perikatan Nasional (PN) allies for their continued support.

The ad interim injunction serves to temporarily protect the plaintiff (Ismail) who filed the application to preserve the status quo, pending the hearing of the interim injunction.

Lawyer Joshua Tan, representing Ismail, said judicial commissioner Evrol Mariette Peters allowed the injunction to be enforced as an earlier ex-parte injunction will expire on March 11.

“The ad interim injunction will remain in force pending the disposal of an inter partes injunction on April 23,” he told FMT after an online proceeding before the judge today.

Tan said the news portal owner, who has engaged a legal firm to respond to the suit, had also removed the posting on Feb 23.

“The judge has now given them time to file an affidavit in reply to the prime minister’s suit,” he said.

Ismail, who is suing in his personal capacity, named Izwan Mohd Zubit as the defendant, in his capacity as the owner of Agenda Daily Media Enterprise, a business enterprise that operates the news portal.

In the statement of claim, Ismail said the posting, in its ordinary meaning and by inference, states that he was concerned about ending up as the prime minister with the shortest tenure in Malaysian history.

He said it was also implied that he was desperate to hold on to the office at any cost and was willing to beg (“rayu”) a certain political party not to withdraw support for him.

He added that the posting also gave the impression that he was concerned only about his position and did not care for the people.

He is seeking a permanent injunction, damages and an apology to be published in Agenda Daily and two other local papers. - FMT