KUALA LUMPUR (July 26): Selangor Barisan Nasional treasurer Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos has been found by the High Court to have defamed Seputeh Member of Parliament (MP) Teresa Kok Suh Sim over his allegations made five years ago that the DAP politician had misused Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (YAWAS) funds.

Judicial Commissioner Datuk Mohd Arief Emran Arifin on Tuesday (July 26) directed Jamal, who was not present in the court, to pay total exemplary, aggravated and general damages of RM300,000.

Jamal was also ordered to pay RM50,000 costs.

“The court found in favour of the plaintiff as the defence had failed to put up his defence.

“I award RM300,000 in aggravated, exemplary and general damages, to be paid by the defendant within 14 days from today (Tuesday), and costs of RM50,000, also within 14 days from today.

“The court has also ordered that the injunction to this case still stands, and the defendant is not allowed to repeat the defamatory words in any format,” Mohd Arief Emran said in his brief grounds.

He informed those in the open court that he had prepared his grounds of judgement.

Kok filed the suit in 2017, when Jamal made the defamatory statement at a press conference accusing her of misusing YAWAS funds that resulted in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to launch an investigation against her.

Jamal, when answering his defence last month, had chosen to discharge his lawyers during the trial and chose to represent himself in the matter.

Kok was represented by counsel Datuk Sankara Nair, while Jamal, who as mentioned represented himself, was not present.

Commenting on the decision, the Seputeh MP thanked the court and Mohd Arief Emran for the decision as it had vindicated her.

She said one can see the allegations made by Jamal were false but as a result of what he accused her of, Kok and one of her officers were subjected to MACC investigations.

“All the files from my office were taken, and I had to go through the mental torture of having to attend the interrogation. I hope that no one will have to undergo what I have gone through — of being falsely accused — resulting in me being subjected to investigations into such false accusations,” she added.

Sankara also thanked the judicial commissioner for providing leeway in the case, and allowing Jamal to conduct his defence and not adjourning the matter.

“The judicial commissioner had put his foot down and continued to hear the matter last month,” the senior lawyer added.