Anwar’s RM10m suit against academician Chandra Muzaffar on Feb 23

(Bernama) – KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has set Feb 23 for case management of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s RM10 million defamation suit against academician and Just World Movement president Dr Chandra Muzaffar.

High Court senior assistant registrar Anisah Normah Muhammad Nor fixed the date in chambers when the case came up for case management on Wednesday, Dec 29. Counsel Wan Anuar Shaddat Mohamed Amin appeared for Anwar while Mohd Zaharudeen Harun is representing Chandra.

On March 6, 2008, Anwar sued Chandra over his alleged defamatory remarks at a forum at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya on March 3, 2008, which were subsequently published in newspapers.

He claimed that Chandra spoke the offending words to disparage him in both his private and official capacities, including as former deputy prime minister and former finance minister and alleged that the defamatory comments, among other things, meant that he promoted and incited racial hatred among the races in Malaysia.

In his statement of defence filed on May 16, 2008, Chandra denied having uttered malicious, false or defamatory comments about Anwar, which the opposition leader claimed were published in two local English newspapers on March 5, 2008.

Alternatively, he claimed that if the words were defamatory, which he denied, then they were published on an occasion of qualified privilege without malice. – Bernama