KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court will hear on April 27 Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s injunction application to restrain Muhyiddin Yassin or his agents from repeating alleged defamatory words on social media platforms that the Umno president sought the former prime minister’s assistance to drop his corruption cases.
Zahid’s lawyer, Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, said he briefed judge Rozana Ali Yusoff about the development of the suit filed on Monday.
“The judge has converted today’s ex parte hearing to an inter partes proceeding on April 27,” he told FMT after an online proceeding.
It was reported yesterday that Zahid’s lawyers will apply for an ex parte application to obtain the injunction that will last only for 21 days.
Shahrul said Muhyididin’s lawyer had also asked for an inter partes hearing, meaning both sides will make submissions to determine whether Zahid could obtain the injunction until the outcome of the trial.
The lawyer said sealed copies of the legal papers will be served on Muhyiddin’s lawyers today.
Zahid, who is also the Bagan Datuk MP, is asking for damages and other relief deemed fit by the court.
Muhyiddin, who is the sole defendant, was alleged to have made the claim against Zahid during the Johor election campaign.
Zahid has denied having met Muhyiddin to seek the then prime minister’s help to resolve his ongoing criminal cases.
In the statement of claim, Zahid said the alleged defamatory words uttered by Muhyiddin implied he was not qualified to be the Umno president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman.
He claimed the words meant that he was resorting to shortcuts to resolve his criminal cases for personal interests.
Further, he said, the words meant that as an MP and the most senior Umno leader, he could not be trusted in his actions or decisions.
He also said there was malice in Muhyiddin coming out with the statement as Perikatan Nasional was one of the coalitions contesting in the Johor elections.
Zahid is standing trial on 47 charges of money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving millions from Yayasan Akalbudi and accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as home minister.
He is also facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) as an inducement to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the One-Stop Centre (OSC) in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the home ministry.
Zahid was charged on another seven counts as home minister to have obtained for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, €15,000 and US$15,000 in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.
Both trials are ongoing. - FMT
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