KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has deposited RM1.4 million in damages, including costs, to DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng for defaming him over the revocation of the Al-Bukhary Foundation's tax exemption.
Muhyiddin, who is the Pagoh member of parliament and Bersatu president, made the payment ahead of the Jan 27 deadline and while awaiting his appeal on the matter at the Court of Appeal.
Lim's lawyer, Guok Ngek Seong, confirmed that the balance of RM1 million was deposited into his firm's client account yesterday.
He said Muhyiddin had already deposited RM400,000 in December last year.
On Nov 8 last year, High Court judge Roz Mawar Rozain ordered Muhyiddin to pay RM1.35 million in damages as well as RM50,000 in costs after Lim, who was former finance minister, successfully proved his case.
Lim had claimed that the allegedly defamatory statements implied that he had abused his position and power by authorising or directing the Inland Revenue Board to impose taxes and penalties on the charitable foundation when it should not have been taxed.
The judge, in her ruling, had said Muhyiddin's conduct was unwarranted as he had resources at his disposal to verify and confirm whether his understanding was correct on fact.
She had said that Muhyiddin did not do so and continued to make further defamatory statements against Lim and she could not accept the defence's argument that the language used in the impugned statements was not inflammatory.
On March 27, 2023, Lim filed a suit claiming the statements were defamatory.
On March 9, the same year, Muhyiddin, in a statement after being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, alleged that the Pakatan Harapan government had revoked the foundation's tax exemption.
He claimed that Lim, during his tenure as finance minister, was responsible for the revocation.
Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim had previously said that Lim, during his tenure as the finance minister, never revoked Al-Bukhary Foundation's tax-exempt status.