Rais awarded RM400,000 in blogger suit
By M Mageswari, The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim has been awarded RM300,000 in his defamation suit against blogger Amizudin Ahmat for implying that he was guilty of raping his Indonesian maid.
High Court judge Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof on Tuesday also awarded Dr Rais RM100,000 in costs.
In her ruling, Justice Zabariah said there was no evidence that the blogger had been provoked by Dr Rais into publishing the defamatory article.
Dr Rais had filed a suit against Amizudin on Jan 31 saying that the blogger had published or caused to be published a defamatory article under the heading Hei Pak Menteri … mana mau lari … (Hey Mr Minister … where do you want to run to) in his blog on Dec 28 last year.
In his suit, Dr Rais claimed that the words meant that he was guilty of raping his Indonesian maid and capable of murdering her to conceal evidence over the alleged rape.
Dr Rais on Tuesday said it was a sound judgement.
