RM2 Million Suit Against Raja Petra For Case Management On Oct 13

(Bernama) — The High Court here today fixed Oct 13 for further case management in a RM2 million civil suit brought against blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin by two senior military officers over his statutory declaration implicating them in the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Deputy Registrar Hilmiah Yusof fixed the date in chambers.

In the suit filed on July 22 last year, Lt Col Abdul Aziz Buyong and his wife, Lt Col Norhayati Hassan, alleged that Raja Petra made the declaration containing accusations against them and the prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, regarding the murder with malice and in bad faith to tarnish their reputation, credibility, good name and career.

They said the accusations were made negligently and without regard for the need to ascertain whether the accusations were true or false, hence damaging their good name and reputation.

The couple sought RM1 million each in damages as well as exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent Raja Petra or his employees from repeating the alleged defamatory remarks.

Raja Petra who runs the Malaysia-Today blog, made the statutory declaration on June 18 last year and posted it on his blog and other websites during the trial of the Altantuya murder by the Shah Alam High Court.

Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda was acquitted and discharged by the court on Oct 31 last year of abetting two Special Action Unit policemen to commit the murder.

The two, Chief Insp Azilah Hadri and Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar, were found guilty of the murder last Thursday and sentenced to death. They are appealing the decision.

Raja Petra, 59, is also facing a criminal defamation charge at the Sessions Court on the same matter, which is pending trial.

He is charged with defaming Rosmah, Abdul Aziz and Norhayati in his statutory declaration made at the Jalan Duta Court Complex here at 10.25am on June 18.