Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will file an appeal after losing a defamation case against opposition leader Datuk Jahara Hamid, whom he labelled “a racist grandmother” two years ago.
His lawyers, led by Datuk N. Mureli, have strongly recommended that he file an appeal with the Court of Appeals.
“I will follow my lawyers’ recommendation,” he told reporters in Juru during an event this morning.
The Star Online today reported that judicial commissioner Datuk Nordin Hassan ordered Lim to pay RM500,000 in damages with 5% interest per annum and RM40,000 in legal cost.
Nordin allowed an injunction against Lim from making a similar statement against Jahara and also ordered for the DAP leader to retract the statement.
Jahara filed the defamation suit after Lim called her a racist grandmother during a press conference at the state assembly sitting on December 9, 2013.
Lim had earlier apologised for calling Jahara a “grandmother” but had refused to back down from calling her a “racist” after she had questioned the DAP-led administration in the state legislative assembly about the local authorities’ enforcement against an illegal seafood restaurant in Pantai Bersih, Butterworth.
Jahara had pointed out that the Pantai Bersih outlet was Chinese-owned and was not torn down while Malay stalls on Persiaran Gurney were demolished, prompting Lim to tell a press conference outside the state assembly that Jahara had taken a racist line and tried to “twist the issue” when she could have just questioned the non-action of the local councils against illegal hawkers. – July 3, 2015.
– See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/guan-eng-loses-racist-grandmother-suit-to-file-appeal#sthash.89ETSdpe.dpuf