KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): Former Perak menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, who is currently the state's Investment, Industrial and Corridor Development Committee chairman, has instructed his solicitors to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against Gunung Semanggol assemblyman Razman Zakaria after he failed to pay RM200,000 in damages for defamation.

Nizar's lawyer Mohd Fitri Asmuni told theedgemarkets.com that Razman — who is also Perak PAS commissioner — was supposed to pay the amount on Jan 29.

"I can confirm having received instructions to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against Razman from Nizar, who is also Sungai Rapat assemblyman," he said.

Razman lost his final appeal at the Court of Appeal on Nov 13, which upheld the decision and quantum.

The suit was initially filed at the High Court but was later moved to the Sessions Court.

The Ipoh Sessions Court had ordered Razman to pay RM200,000 in damages to Nizar, after finding him liable for slander for a statement he made against the state exco which was published in a Malay language newspaper on June 2, 2015.

The decision was upheld by the Ipoh High Court and last November, a three-member bench led by Justice Datuk Dr Badariah Sahamid that also included Datuk Hasnah Mohamed Hashim and Datuk Harminder Singh Dhaliwal ruled there was no merit in Razman's appeal and there was no appealable error in the High Court's decision that warranted a judicial intervention.

Under Article 48(1), a member of parliament or a state legislative assembly may be disqualified if they are an undischarged bankrupt.