Umno, PAS’ Mustafa Ali to mediate over sex video defamation case
(The Star) – Umno, PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali (pic) and two others have agreed to go for mediation to resolve a defamation suit in relation to distribution of a sex video.
High Court judge Justice John Louis O’Hara on Tuesday set Jan 15 for case management, pending the outcome of the mediation.
In April, Mustafa and two others were sued by Umno over alleged libelous statements linking the party to the distribution of a sex video clip which showed a man resembling him.
Mustafa, his lawyer Asmuni Awi and HarakahDaily.net chief editor Zulkifli Sulong were named as defendants.
Speaking to reporters here, Zulkifli’s lawyer Zulhazmi Shariff said that the parties have agreed to go for a mediation to find a possible settlement.
“The case will be transfered to a mediation centre (at the Jalan Duta Court Complex) to find out if we can settle the suit or not,” he said.
Zulhazmi also mentioned the case for the two others.
Umno lawyer Raihanah Ariffin confirmed the details over the matter.
In the statement of claim, Umno said Mustafa and Asmuni had caused the publication of five defamatory articles against the party between April 12 and 13.
Umno said Mustafa had slandered the party by making media statements which were reported in online portals HarakahDaily.net and www.malaysiakini.com.
It said Zulkifli had allowed publication of two defamatory articles against the party without finding out its truth.
Among others, Umno is seeking for damages, an apology and an injunction to prevent Mustafa and Asmuni from publishing similar libelous words.
Umno executive secretary Datuk Ab. Rauf Yusoh filed the suit on behalf of the party, saying that offending words implied that Umno was the mastermind behind the sex video clip and that it was distributed for election campaigning purposes.
In his defence statement dated May 23, Mustafa admitted that he had given a speech at a ceramah in Dungun, Terengganu touching on the distribution of the sex video and photographs but contended that his speech was not defamatory against Umno.
In the statement of defence dated May 23, Asmuni said that he has legal obligations to make a statement to protect the good name of Mustafa to avoid any negative perception by the people due to the distribution of the video.
In the statement of defence dated May 22, Zulkifli said he was not the writer, editor or publisher of the articles, adding that those words were published without any bad intention as it was a matter of public interest.
