KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 — The High Court today allowed businessman and cosmetics entrepreneur and social media personality Datuk Seri Aliff Syukri Kamaruzaman’s bid to defer his apology to veteran politician Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir in a RM30 million investment debt suit.

Aliff Syukri’s lawyer, Mahmud Abdul Jumaat, confirmed the matter after proceedings on the stay of execution before Judge Roslan Mat Nor.

Mahmud said the court stayed both the apology and expungement orders, as directed by Judge Roslan on April 29, pending the Court of Appeal hearing.

“The court also allowed RM250,000 in damages to be deposited with Abdul Kadir’s lawyer as stakeholder pending the appeal,” he said.

However, the court rejected Aliff Syukri’s application for a stay of the order barring him from publishing further defamatory statements, he added.

On April 29, Judge Roslan ordered Aliff Syukri to pay RM250,000 to former Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism Abdul Kadir, after allowing the suit filed by Abdul Kadir against him.

The court also awarded RM50,000 in costs to Abdul Kadir, barred Aliff Syukri from publishing further defamatory statements, and ordered him to remove all defamatory social media posts within seven days.

Abdul Kadir, 86, filed the suit on Sept 6, 2023, claiming Aliff Syukri, 39, an entertainment figure with a large following, had made defamatory statements against him on Instagram and Facebook on July 2, 2023.

The plaintiff said the statements implied he owed the defendant millions, and that his image in the posts attracted negative comments.

Aliff Syukri, in his defence, said he had invested RM30 million under a Nov 26, 2018 joint venture agreement involving both parties and two companies.

He also claimed that the sum invested was never returned, and that the plaintiff was aware of all breaches of promise. — Bernama