KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Jan 2009: The High Court with hear the RM60 million defamation suit by former senator Datuk Muhammad Abdul Ghani against two newspapers and their journalists on 13 April.
Justice Datuk Balia Yusof Wahi fixed the date in chambers here today.
Muhammad filed the suit on 7 Dec 2006 claiming the defendants — The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, Berita Harian Sdn Bhd, Hamidah Atan and Shamshul Azree Samshir — had published reports which implicated him in the cloning of permits for the import of vehicles.
Muhammad, 64, who is Malaysian Ex-Servicemen Association president, claimed that two articles entitled Senator in Cloned AP Scam in the The New Straits Times on 7 Oct 2006 and Syarikat Milik Senator Klon AP in Berita Harian the following day were defamatory.
He said the articles carried a meaning that as a senator and politician, he was greedy and irresponsible and was unqualified to hold a public post.
The damages he was seeking totalling RM60 million included aggravated and exemplary damages. — Bernama
