Aliff Syukri Allowed to Postpone Apology to Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today allowed businessman Datuk Seri Aliff Syukri Kamaruzaman’s application to postpone his apology to political veteran Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir in a lawsuit regarding an investment debt worth RM30 million.
Lawyer Mahmud Abdul Jumaat, representing Aliff Syukri as the applicant, informed the matter after the proceedings for the stay of execution of the judgment before Judge Roslan Mat Nor.
Mahmud said the court allowed the stay of execution for the order of apology and the order to remove the publications as directed in Judge Roslan’s judgment on April 29 until the disposal of the appeal of the case at the Court of Appeal.
“The court also allowed the defendant’s proposal that the damages of RM250,000 by Aliff Syukri be paid to Abdul Kadir’s lawyer as a stakeholder account pending the disposal of the appeal of this case at the Court of Appeal,” he said.
According to the lawyer, the court however dismissed Aliff Syukri’s application to stay the execution of the order not to publish any posting that has the same or similar effect that defames Abdul Kadir.
On April 29, Judge Roslan ordered Aliff Syukri to pay RM250,000 to the former Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism after allowing the suit filed by Abdul Kadir as the plaintiff against Aliff Syukri as the defendant.
The court also ordered Aliff Syukri to pay costs of RM50,000 to Abdul Kadir and he is prohibited from publishing or causing to be published the complained matters or anything else having the same effect, besides being ordered to remove the written defamation from all social media accounts within seven days from the date of judgment.
Abdul Kadir, 86, filed the suit on Sept 6, 2023, alleging that Aliff Syukri, 39, who is involved in the entertainment industry with a large following on social media, made defamatory statements against the plaintiff on Instagram and Facebook on July 2, 2023.
The plaintiff claimed the statements implied, among others, that the plaintiff owed the defendant millions of ringgit, besides the plaintiff’s picture placed on the statement inviting negative comments from readers.
Aliff Syukri, through his statement of defence, claimed he had made an investment payment of RM30 million to comply with a joint venture agreement dated Nov 26, 2018 involving the plaintiff, the defendant and two companies.
He claimed that the parties in the joint venture agreement failed to make payment of the invested money, and all such breaches of promise, including the undertaking given by the plaintiff to him, were within the plaintiff’s own knowledge.
BERNAMA