KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today dismissed Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng's application to strike out a defamation suit brought against him by MCA over an allegation that the party had "pocketed" government funds for Chinese vernacular schools.
Judge Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim struck out the application in chambers today after finding that there are triable issues that need to be resolved by way of a trial.
The court ordered Lim to pay RM2,000 in cost to the political party and fixed March 28 for case management.
Laywer Guok Ngek Seong represented Lim while lawyer Ng Choo Ho acted for MCA.
On July 17, last year, MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan, on behalf of MCA, filed the suit in his capacity as a public officer against Lim claiming that the latter had in a press conference held in the Parliament building on March 15, the same year uttered defamatory remarks against the party.
In the statement of claim, Ong alleged that the comments made by Lim which was published in newspapers and online news portals had injured MCA's reputation.
He also claimed that Lim's remarks had meant that MCA had never used the public funds to contribute to Chinese schools but instead pocketed the funds allocated for the schools.
MCA is seeking among others RM100 million in general and exemplary damages as well as an injunction to prevent Lim or any of his agents from further publishing statements defamatory to the party.