Anwar’s RM100mil defamation suit appeal against Dr M struck off

(Malaysian Mirror) – An appeal by Anwar Ibrahim over his RM100mil defamation suit against Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been thrown out.

The Court of Appeals, after going through the written submissions by both sides “with a fine tooth comb” allowed the application by Mahathir to strike out the appeal by the Opposition Leader.

The former prime minister had submitted that Anwar’s memorandum of appeal was filed only in English and not also in Malay as required by the law.

Judge Abdullah Malik Ishak said the court also dismissed Anwar’s application for an extension of time to file the memorandum of appeal in Malay.

Anwar filed appeal in 2007

On Jan 27, 2006, the PKR advisor had filed a suit against Dr Mahathir for allegedly portraying him as a man of no morals and who was dangerous to Malaysian society.

Anwar alleged that Dr Mahathir had publicly uttered such words to journalists at a conference organised by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam )on Sept 9, 2005

– knowing that he (Anwar) had been acquitted and discharged by the Federal Court on Sept 2, 2004 on charges of sodomy, and

– also after the Kuala Lumpur High Court had ruled in his favour on Aug 18, 2005 on a defamation suit he had brought against the author of the book 50 Dalil Mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM.

Anwar had, in 2007, filed a notice of appeal against the decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court that struck out his second defamation suit against Mahathir.

Mahathir had filed an application on Jan 5 this year saying that Anwar’s writ of summons and statement of claim should be struck out because it was scandalous, frivolous or vexatious.