Dr Maza wins RM250,000 defamation damages over GISBH allegations

 The High Court held that only one of four statements made about Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin was defamatory.

Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin (popularly known as Dr Maza) filed the suit over four statements published on Facebook that implied he was a leader or supporter of the GISBH movement.

KUALA LUMPUR:

Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin was awarded RM250,000 in defamation damages after the High Court upheld part of his defamation claim against a Facebook account owner over posts linking him to GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd.

Judicial commissioner Rihaida Rafie said the court found that only the first of the four statements published by Facebook user Nawawi Abdul Razak, 39 was defamatory.

Asri (who is popularly called Dr Maza) had failed to prove that the remaining three statements fulfilled the legal elements of defamation, the court held.

Nawawi was ordered to pay RM250,000 in global damages and RM50,000 in costs. He was also required to publish an apology on his Facebook account within seven days, remove the defamatory posts, and refrain from publishing any further defamatory statements.

Asri, who is also a lecturer, filed the suit in October 2024, alleging that Nawawi had published four defamatory statements which implied, among other things, that he was a leader or supporter of the GISBH movement, had close ties with the group, and condoned superstitious practices in return for benefits from GISBH.

Nawawi contended that Asri’s claim was exaggerated, excessive and fabricated to gain the court’s sympathy. - FMT