KUALA LUMPUR: DAP has apologised to former Melaka chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik for defaming the latter over an article implicating him in various scandals in a social media post four years ago.
The apology was read out by the party's Assistant National Organising Secretary Khoo Poay Tiong at the High Court today.
Rahim, on Sept 17, 2020, filed a defamation suit against the DAP over a written and published an article in a Facebook post alleging he was involved in various scandals.
Besides Khoo, Rahim also named the party's former national chairman Tan Kok Wai, deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo and Lim Guan Eng, the then secretary-general, as defendants.
They were named in their capacity as the office bearers of DAP.
Khoo, when reading the apology statement said the party admitted that allegations about Rahim in several articles published by them are baseless and untrue.
The articles are "Rahim Thamby Chik is not 'Bapa Pembangunan Melaka' but is 'Bapa Segala Skandal Melaka", and "Rahim Thamby Chik Bukan Bapa Pembangunan Melaka tetapi Bapa Segala Skandal Melaka" published on the DAP website.
"We deeply regret publishing the above articles and failed to take into account the statement read out by DAP in open court in a settlement with Rahim in 2003.
"We further deeply regret that these articles have defamed Tan Sri Rahim and have caused him and his family to suffer distress.
"We therefore unreservedly apologised and expressed our regret for any distress and embarrassment that we have caused him and his family by reason of the publication of the abovementioned articles.
"We have since removed the above articles and undertake that we will not publish any articles containing these or similar allegations against Rahim," he said before Judicial Commissioner Dr John Lee Kein How @ Mohd Johan Lee.
The apology was issued after both parties agreed on to settle the case out of court.
The court ordered the defendants to pay RM180,000 in cost.
According to the statement of claim, Rahim alleged that Khoo had on the same day caused the article containing the alleged defamatory words in the post to be published on The Star Online.
The alleged defamatory words, Rahim claimed, had meant that he was involved in various scandals, had committed sexual offences, misused his power, was guilty of malpractice and was corrupt.
He claimed that the allegations and innuendoes were untrue, baseless, maliciously published, and had caused him to be held in grave public scandal, odium, and contempt by friends, acquaintances and the public both nationally and internationally.
He said the impugned words had also damaged his reputation which will continue for the years to come as it was accessible via the Internet and could be shared over and over again.
Rahim in his claim against Tan, Gobind and Lim alleged that they had maliciously libeled him by publishing and causing the publication of the words to the world at large.
He is seeking an injunction to restrain all the defendants from further publishing libelous statements or any similar libel upon him as well as a written apology to be published in national newspapers and magazines of his choice in a form and in terms that he will determine then.