PUTRAJAYA, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- The Court of Appeal today dismissed former Hulu Selangor Member of Parliament June Leow Hsiad Hui’s appeal against the High Court’s dismissal of her defamation lawsuit against a voter.
A three-member bench comprising Justices Datuk Azizul Azmi Adnan, Datuk Ong Chee Kwan and Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Harun ordered Leow to pay RM50,000 as cost.
Delivering the unanimous decision, Justice Azizul said the impugned words carried a defamatory meaning suggesting dishonesty.
However, he said the allegation of dishonesty did not refer to the plaintiff (Leow).
He further said that insofar as the posting related to the plaintiff, she was accused of failing to take action, which could only be construed as incompetence.
Justice Azizul, however, said Leow had not pleaded the lesser form of defamation in her case.
Leow, who was Hulu Selangor MP from 2018 to 2022, had filed the liable suit against M. Ravi in 2021 over a Facebook post published on July 17, 2020, concerning the construction of a school.
She claimed that the post had tarnished her reputation and standing as a MP and political figure.
She sought general damages, aggravated damages and injunction to restrain Ravi from making further publications concerning her.
Her suit was dismissed by the Shah Alam High Court on February 8, 2024.
At the Court of Appeal proceedings, lawyers Shamsher Singh Thind, Gunamalar Joorindanjn and Ching Jee Joo appeared for Ravi, while Datuk T. Anandan, A. Arvinanda Moorthy and Nur Fatin Farzana Redzuan represented Leow.
-- BERNAMA