Lokman Adam settles Waytha Moorthy defamation suit out of court

(FMT) Former national unity minister P Waytha Moorthy has settled his defamation suit against Lokman Noor Adam over Lokman’s speech in 2018 linking Waytha to the death of fireman Adib Kassim.

Lawyer Annou Xavier, representing Waytha, said both parties recorded a consent judgment before High Court judge Akhtar Tahir today.

However, Annou said the terms under the consent judgment cannot be disclosed.

Waytha filed the suit in 2019 alleging that Lokman, a former Umno Supreme Council member, had made a defamatory remark against him at a rally that year.

He said Lokman’s statement was also uploaded on YouTube, KiniTV and Sinar TV under the title, “Several ministers tried to amend Adib’s post-mortem report”.

He also said this was published in several news reports.

Waytha claimed that Lokman’s statement implied that he was a dishonest minister who attempted to manipulate the post-mortem findings on Adib’s death and failed to carry out his duties as the minister responsible for national unity and social wellbeing, apart from inciting riots at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple.

Adib, who was with the Subang Jaya fire and rescue department, was seriously injured in a riot at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, on Nov 27, 2018 and died on Dec 17 the same year at the National Heart Institute (IJN).

The inquest into the fireman’s death was held from Feb 11 to July 24, 2019. The court subsequently ruled that Adib’s death was caused by “more than two unknown persons”.