No need for confidentiality as deal recorded in open court, says DAP man

 

Satees Muniandy said no other terms of settlement were recorded, whether in open court or in chambers. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: A DAP assemblyman, who was sued by Zakir Naik for defamation, has denied the claim by lawyers representing the controversial preacher that the terms of settlement should remain private and confidential.

Satees Muniandy said the terms of settlement were recorded in open court and not marked as confidential.

He also said no other terms of settlement were recorded, whether in open court or in chambers.

“Hence, the issue of confidentiality of the terms of settlement do not arise at all,” the Bagan Dalam assemblyman said in a statement.

Earlier today, FMT reported that Naik’s lawyers Akberdin Abdul Kader and Rafie Shafie had said both parties agreed that the terms of the settlement should remain private and confidential.

They said this when responding to a request for confirmation when lawyers acting for Satees commented on the settlement after the proceedings in court ended yesterday.

Naik filed the suit against Satees in 2019 over the assemblyman’s remarks contained in an FMT report, “DAP man blames LTTE crackdown on Zakir Naik”.

Satees was also sued over an article published by Malaysiakini in the same year, in which he said the preacher should be deported from Malaysia for suggesting that Malaysian Indians were more loyal to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi than to then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Akberdin said the settlement reached in court yesterday was similar to a consent judgment recorded in Naik’s defamation suit against former human resources minister M Kula Segaran in July 2022, which was also to remain confidential between the parties. - FMT