The former prime minister is apparently too busy with “other pressing matters” that he has been withdrawing lawsuits.
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has withdrawn his suit against Damansara MP Tony Pua and MediaRakyat portal owner Chan Chee Keong over a speech at a fund-raising dinner.
Najib’s lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun told reporters that his client has instructed him to withdraw the suit against the two defendants.
The defendants agreed to the withdrawal under undisclosed terms.
“Lawyers for Tony and Chan Chee Keong agreed on the withdrawal with an undisclosed amount of costs,” he said after meeting High Court judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim in chambers.
“This withdrawal is with no liberty to file afresh,” Hafarizam added.
This was the second withdrawal of a suit by Najib.
The former premier withdrew his suit against former transport minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, saying he had to focus on “other pressing matters”.
Ling also withdrew his counter-claim against Najib on May 22.
Counsel Michelle Ng acted for Pua while Shahid Adli Kamarudin for Chan.
Najib sued Pua and Chan for defamation.
In the lawsuit filed on March 5, 2015, Najib said Pua had delivered a speech at a DAP fund-raising dinner on Nov 3, 2014, relating to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) where the latter had slandered him.
He claimed Pua had made the defamatory remark on 1MDB by stating “Najib created the biggest scandal ever in the history of Malaysia”.
Najib also alleged that Pua’s speech meant he had stolen the people’s money with regard to 1MDB transactions, and that he could not be trusted to hold public office.
He said the speech was then uploaded by Chan or his agents onto MediaRakyat’s YouTube channel and MediaRakyat’s webpage.
Najib was seeking an apology, retraction of the statement and compensation.
Ng said another High Court had fixed June 1 for case management on Najib’s second lawsuit against Pua over his Facebook statement on the tabling of the private member’s bill on the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (RUU 355).
Hafarizam said they would deal with the second lawsuit when the time came.