.jpg "Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin delivers a keynote address at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre March 1, 2020. — Bernama pic")
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KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin filed a defamation lawsuit today against Umno supreme council member Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi, seeking compensation and an apology over a Facebook post.
Along with the lawsuit filed at the High Court here this morning, Muhyiddin’s lawyers also today filed a certificate of urgency for an ex-parte application for an interim injunction or temporary injunction to stop Puad from publishing the alleged defamatory Facebook post or contents similar to the Facebook post.
Rosli Dahlan, one of Muhyiddin’s lawyers, told Malay Mail that High Court judge Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril granted the interim injunction against Puad, with this court order to be in place until the court decides the application with both parties present.
“The grounds of the application have all been fulfilled and the affidavits show all the facts. The court is satisfied that the defendant must be restrained until the final disposal of the inter-parte hearing,” Rosli said when explaining the reasons for the High Court’s granting of the temporary injunction against Puad.
The other lawyers who represented Muhyiddin in the court hearing this afternoon for the interim injunction through the ex-parte application were Datuk DP Naban and Louis Liaw.
The defamation lawsuit filed by Muhyiddin today is over Puad’s February 9 posting titled “Kuarantin Pun Ada Dua Darjat” on his Facebook page “DrPuad Zarkashi”, with Muhyiddin’s lawyers saying that the Facebook post and its contents are untrue and baseless.
In the defamation lawsuit against Puad, Muhyiddin is seeking compensation in the form of general damages, exemplary damages, and aggravated damages with the amount to be assessed and determined by the court.
Muhyiddin is also seeking an injunction to restrain Puad or his associates or representatives from publishing, posting, sharing the Facebook post or continuing to do so, as well as an injunction to stop such actions in relation to statements similar or related to the Facebook post.
The prime minister is also seeking a court order for Puad to immediately, prominently and permanently publish an unequivocal public apology on Puad’s Facebook page “DrPuad Zarkashi” in terms to be dictated by Muhyiddin, as well as a court order for Puad to cause all the news portal and social media — that will be identified by Muhyiddin — that had published the alleged defamatory remarks in his Facebook post to also immediately and prominently publish an apology.
MORE TO COME