Anwar applies to strike out Nalla’s defence

(Malaysiakini) – Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has filed an application to strike out Senator S Nallakaruppan’s defence in the Permatang Pauh MP’s 2009 defamation suit against his one time tennis partner.

Anwar filed the application yesterday. The 2009 suit arose from Nallakaruppan’s claim that Anwar received RM60 million in bribes from Magnum Corporation when he was finance minister.

The Permatang Pauh MP on Nov 16, 2009, obtained a High Court order for Nallakaruppan to furnish and provide better particulars in his statement of defence.

Nallakaruppan (left) in turn appealed to the Court of Appeal to set aside the High Court order. However, his application was dismissed on Nov 23 last year and he was also ordered to pay Anwar RM15,000 in costs.

Following the strike-out application filed by Anwar yesterday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court fixed May 17 for case management.

At a ceramah in Permatang Pauh on Aug 23, 2008, Nallakaruppan said he personally handed RM60 million from a gaming company to Anwar in 1998 for an undisclosed purpose.

‘He has a track record in making scurrilous allegations’

He claimed that Anwar had approved many gambling licences and four-digit lottery outlets when he was the finance minister and deputy prime minister.

In his suit filed against Nallakaruppan on Aug 25, 2009, Anwar said the claims made meant that he was corrupt, insincere and had committed offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1997.

PKR legal bureau director Latheefa Koya said in a statement today that Nallakaruppan’s failure to furnish details of his defence clearly showed that the senator had a track record in making scurrilous, defamatory allegations against Anwar.

Anwar had earlier this week file another RM100 million defamation suit against Nallakaruppan and Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia for making derogatory remarks about him to discredit him and tarnish his reputation as opposition leader and as a politician.