Sarawak report trial#

Justice Azimah fixed May 17 for further case management, while hearing of the case was set for Aug 14 to 18, 2023. In addition, Brown was ordered to pay RM8,000 costs,” said Gurupatham, who appeared with Venothoni Rajagopal.īrown was represented by counsel Liew Teck Huat and Angeline Tan. “She (Brown) failed to abide by them, and hence those paragraphs were ordered to be struck off. Mabel’s lawyer Datuk David Gurupatham, when contacted by The Edge, said the order made by Justice Datuk Azimah Omar follows the judge’s decision in February last year to allow Mabel’s discovery application for Brown to produce documents she had cited in her defence. Mabel, who served as a special officer to former attorney general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, is suing Brown over articles linking her to alleged text messages sent to the family of deputy public prosecutor Kevin Morais, who was murdered gruesomely seven years ago. Rewcastle-Brown also claimed that Sarawak Report had never suggested that the plaintiff was involved in a conspiracy involving Jho Low and had also never suggested that the plaintiff was involved in the government’s administration related to 1MDB affairs.KUALA LUMPUR (March 23): Twenty paragraphs and subparagraphs in Sarawak Report editor Claire Rewcastle Brown’s defence statement in a defamation suit filed by Mabel Sheela Mutthiah were ordered to be struck off by the High Court on Wednesday (March 23).

In their defence statements, the three defendants denied making allegations that the plaintiff was involved in corrupt practices. The Sultanah is claiming general damages of RM100 million from each defendant and is also seeking an order for the publisher to withdraw the book containing the defamatory statement and for the printer to stop printing the book. Sultanah Nur Zahirah contended that the statement meant that she had helped fugitive businessman Jho Low or Low Taek Jho to become a TIA adviser. Sultanah Nur Zahirah claimed that the said statement, among others, meant that she was involved in corruption and interfering in the administration of the Terengganu government, besides using her status to influence the establishment of the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), later known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Sultanah Nur Zahirah filed the suit on November 21, 2018, naming Rewcastle-Brown, Gerakbudaya Enterprise publisher Chong Ton Sin and printer Vinlin Press Sdn Bhd as the first to the third defendants. She filed the application on grounds that there were similarities in the issues and facts regarding the two cases as these were related to the publication of the book “The Sarawak Report - The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose”. Meanwhile, Rewcastle-Brown’s counsel Mervyn Lai said the court rejected his client’s application after finding the application would deprive the plaintiff (Sultanah Nur Zahirah) of having her case heard and decided.Īccording to the lawyer, the court also held that there were no special circumstances justifying a stay and a key issue is that the criminal matter was still at the commencement stage and it is not known how long it will take.īased on the notice of application filed through Messrs Tommy Thomas on December 13, 2021, Rewcastle-Brown applied for an order to stay the hearing of the suit, pending the disposal of a criminal case faced by her in the Kuala Terengganu Magistrates’ Court.

Sarawak report trial#

“The court set April 4 for next case management to fix trial dates,” the lawyer said when contacted by reporters after today’s proceedings via Zoom. Lawyer Datuk Mohd Haaziq Pillay, who is representing Sultanah Nur Zahirah, said Judicial Commissioner of High Court John Lee Kien How Mohd Johan Lee dismissed Rewcastle-Brown’s application with costs of RM5,000. KUALA LUMPUR (March 28): Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown failed in her bid to stay the hearing of a suit filed by the Sultanah of Terengganu, Sultanah Nur Zahirah, over an allegedly defamatory statement in the book, “The Sarawak Report - The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose”. Lawyer Datuk Mohd Haaziq Pillay, who is representing Sultanah Nur Zahirah, said Judicial Commissioner of High Court John Lee Kien How Mohd Johan Lee dismissed Clare Rewcastle-Brown’s application with costs of RM5,000.