Liew, Azwanddin explore settling defamation suit out of court

Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong and Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) president Azwanddin Hamzah are exploring the possibility of an out of court settlement on the communist uniform issue.

Liew's lawyer Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi told reporters that High Court judge Azimah Omar has set July 26 for both parties to update her if they could settle the matter out of court.

"If there is no resolution, the High Court will proceed with the trial from Sept 23 to 25, as set earlier," he said when met after case management today in the presence of lawyer Sarah Abishegam, representing Azwanddin.

Liew filed a defamation suit against Azwanddin on Dec 27, for a Facebook post in which the latter alleged that the deputy minister intentionally wore a "communist uniform" to a military event.

Azwanddin was alleged to have uploaded the image and captioned it with the remark last Oct 30.

The suit also involves an article written by Azwanddin on JMM’s website Nov 19 last year, with the title "Kementerian Pertahanan Kini Berada Dalam Tekanan Dan Ancaman” (The Defence Ministry is under pressure and threat).

Liew is seeking RM20 million in general and exemplary damages, as well as an injunction restraining Azwanddin from publishing similar articles.

- Bernama