KUALA LUMPUR – Sungai Besar Umno division chief Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos has been ordered to pay RM300,000 to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok by the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his bid to quash his conviction for defaming the DAP politician.
Kok’s lawyer Datuk Sankara Nair confirmed to Scoop that the appeals panel, comprising judges led by Datuk Supang Lian, Datuk Azman Abdullah, and Wong Kian Kheong, had dismissed Jamal’s appeal against the high court’s decision to grant victory to Kok in her RM1 million defamation suit.
The court today also ordered him to pay RM20,000 in costs.
Kok filed the suit against Jamal on April 6, 2017, over his statement alleging Kok had embezzled Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas) funds. The statement was made at a press conference on March 8 of the same year.
Kok, in her suit, claimed that Jamal’s statement had painted her as an unethical person.
She sought RM1 million in damages, including compensatory, aggravated, and exemplary damages, as well as an injunction against Jamal from repeating or spreading allegations against her.
The high court, on July 26, 2022, found that Jamal did defame Kok, and ordered him to pay her RM300,000 in damages, together with RM50,000 costs with five percent annual interest. The court also ordered an injunction against Jamal.
Jamal then applied for a stay of execution from paying RM300,000 to Kok. This application for a stay was rejected by the high court on March 21 last year.
He was granted a conditional stay of execution, however, by the Court of Appeal on March 29 last year, whereby he had to deposit the RM300,000 with Kok’s solicitors pending the disposal of his appeal.
Sankara also confirmed to Scoop today that Kok’s lawyers are holding the RM300,000 fund after Jamal deposited the funds with them. – March 27, 2024