KL High Court finds blogger liable for defaming former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng, son
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The court also awarded RM30,000 (S$9,665) and RM10,000 in costs to Mr Lim Guan Eng (above) and his son, Mr Clint Lim, respectively.
PHOTO: ST FILE
KUALA LUMPUR - The Kuala Lumpur High Court has found blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, liable for defaming former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and his son Clint Lim Way Chau, over claims involving an alleged cash seizure at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Justice Roslan Mat Nor allowed the defamation suit filed by Mr Lim and Mr Clint Lim against Wan Muhammad Azri and ordered the defendant to pay RM200,000 (S$64,359) in damages to Mr Lim and RM80,000 to Mr Clint Lim.
The court also awarded RM30,000 and RM10,000 in costs to Mr Lim and Mr Clint Lim respectively, to be paid by Wan Muhammad Azri.
On Oct 15, Mr Lim and Mr Clint Lim filed the lawsuit, claiming that the defendant had posted on his Facebook page a purportedly defamatory statement alleging that the second plaintiff (Mr Clint Lim) was detained at Singapore’s Changi Airport on Feb 29, 2020, for bringing in RM2 million in cash without a proper declaration.
They claimed that the statement, which was posted on March 14, 2020, had been read by the public, received about 2,900 “Likes”, comments from 416 Facebook users, and was shared by 315 people on the same day.
The plaintiffs said in their statement of claim that the second plaintiff was not even at Changi Airport on the date and time stated in the defamatory post.
In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs contended that, at all material times, the defendant, an Umno Youth executive council member, was also known as Papagomo and owned the Facebook account “Papa Azri”.
In his statement of defence, Wan Muhammad Azri denied having posted or published any statements defamatory to the plaintiffs on his Facebook page. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
