The civil court ordered former Penang deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy to pay over RM1 million in defamation damages to Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning allowed the two civil actions by the Indian national against the former DAP member, resulting in total damages of RM1.45 million.
In 2019, Zakir (above, right) filed two separate suits against Ramasamy over the latter’s public statements: one linked to the preacher’s controversial ceramah at Kota Bharu, Kelantan on Aug 8, 2019; and the other in relation to the 2019 mass arrests linked to alleged attempts to revive the defunct militant group Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE).
During open-court proceedings today, judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz ruled that all three elements of defamation have been proven by Zakir for the five public statements made by Ramasamy.
The judge said Ramasamy failed to show he was entitled to the defence of justification and fair comment. – Malaysiakini