KUALA TERENGGANU: The Kuala Terengganu High Court has postponed the defamation suit by Parti Keadilan Rakyat candidate for Bukit Besi Mohd Shamsul Mat Amin against Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and has fixed submissions on Dec 7.
Abdul Hadi's supporters who packed the court room, left when told that the case had been postponed because the witness for the plaintiff, a reporter from KOSMO, failed to turn up in court on technical grounds.
Counsel for the defendant Asmuni Awi told reporters that lawyers representing both the plantiff and defendant would close the case and submit to the court their arguments, with or without the witness from KOSMO.
“The warrant of arrest on the witness was not executed and as such we cannot continue the hearing. The judge has fixed Dec 7 for submissions,” he said.
In February, the Kuala Terengganu High Court ordered Abdul Hadi to pay RM2 million in damages to PKR’s Mohd Shamsul for the defamation suit he filed on December 5 last year.
Mohd Shamsul had sued Hadi over his statement that there was a drug dealer among PKR’s candidates in last year’s general election, which was used as an excuse by Pas to nominate their own candidates in the seats allocated to PKR resulting in a three-cornered fight in Bukit Besi.
In his statement of claims, Mohad Shamsul said that Abdul Hadi’s had tarnished his reputation as a candidate and businessman following the accusation in a speech made at Kampung Tebakang in Alor Limbat, Marang on April 22.