Politics

Don't ever defame me again, Mahfuz tells Sanusi

ALOR STAR: ALOR STAR: Parti Amanah Negara vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar has chided Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor by reminding the menteri besar not to repeat the mistake of defaming him.

Mahfuz also took a jab at Sanusi for disabling the comments section on one of his Facebook posts.

"Ingat tu Sanusi jgn duk buat perangai macam tu lagi tau. Komen dibuka untuk semua tapi di page ini saja. Selamat Hari Raya." (Remember Sanusi, don't ever repeat that. The comments section is open to all, but it applies to this page only. Selamat Hari Raya)," reads Mahfuz's posting as he attached Sanusi's statement, which was posted earlier today.

Mahfuz's supporters had joined the chorus mocking Sanusi for disabling the comment section on his Facebook posting.

In a statement issued this evening, Mahfuz said he hoped that Sanusi would repent.

"Alhamdulillah (all praise to Allah), it seems Sanusi has accepted the fact that he had defamed me. I hope he will repent.

"If Sanusi felt that the decisions by the High Court and the Court of Appeal were wrong, he would have for sure filed an appeal to the Federal Court.

"But since Sanusi did not proceed with the appeal, it seems that he had acknowledged and agreed with what had been decided by the High Court and the Court of Appeal that he had defamed me and acknowledged the fact that I have nothing to do with the relocation of Sports Toto gambling outlet as alleged by him.

"The court's ruling that Sanusi was guilty of defaming me proved that my sensitivity towards such issue was never degraded as alleged in his defamation remarks against me.

"I wish Sanusi's repentance will last and he no longer koyak (torn)," Mahfuz said in the statement.

Earlier today, it was reported that Sanusi had issued a public apology to Mahfuz, who is also Kedah Pakatan Harapan chairman, over his Facebook posting in 2019.

Sanusi issued the apology after the Court of Appeal had last month upheld the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision in 2021 to allow Mahfuz's defamation suit and ordered Sanusi to pay RM120,000 in damages to the plaintiff.

Sanusi's statement reads: "On July 2019, I uploaded a Facebook post about the relocation of a Sports Toto gambling premises from Alor Star to Pokok Sena ("Facebook post").

"I had said that the sensitivities of Amanah and PH leaders, who are the government of the day, had degraded following the relocation of the Sports Toto premises to a Muslim-majority area in Kedah, without any objection until the issue was raised by the people and me four months after the approval by the Finance Ministry.

"In accordance with the defamation suit filed by Mahfuz Omar against me concerning the Facebook post, the High Court had on Nov 8, 2021, and the Court of Appeal on April 3, 2023, ruled that my Facebook post was a defamation remark against Mahfuz Omar, thus I was ordered to issue an apology.

"I hereby extend my apology to Mahfuz Omar for the statement uploaded in the Facebook post."

Last month, the Court of Appeal ordered Sanusi to pay an increased sum of damages totalling RM120,000 to Mahfuz, who is also a former Pokok Sena member of Parliament, for defamation.

The three-member bench allowed Mahfuz's cross-appeal for the quantum of damages to be increased from RM50,000 to RM120,000.

The bench had also dismissed Sanusi's appeal to set aside the High Court's earlier decision, which ordered him to pay damages to Mahfuz after allowing the latter's (Mahfuz) defamation lawsuit.

The court had also ordered Sanusi to pay RM10,000 in legal costs.

On Wednesday, Sanusi said he had handed over the RM120,000 cash to his lawyer to arrange the award payment to Mahfuz.

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