KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — The Alor Setar High Court has allowed Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to enter a default judgment against a social media user in his defamation lawsuit.
Lawyer Datuk SN Nair, representing the plaintiff, said Judge John Lee Kien How @ Mohammad Johan Lee made the ruling on December 8, 2025, following the plaintiff’s application supported by an affidavit dated November 14, 2025.
“We confirm that the High Court has granted a default judgment in favour of Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail against defendant Muhamad Zubair Ismail, which was sealed by the court on March 14, 2026,” he said in a statement today.
Nair added that after reviewing the application and Saifuddin's submissions, and noting Zubair's absence, the court entered default judgment against the defendant.
It also ruled the defendant liable in connection with the defamatory publication challenged by Saifuddin.
“The matter will now proceed to the assessment of damages stage, where the court will determine the appropriate amount of general damages, aggravated damages, and exemplary damages to be awarded to the plaintiff,” he said.
The default judgment affirmed the principle that individuals who spread defamatory statements online cannot avoid legal responsibility by failing to participate in court proceedings.
“Saifuddin Nasution initiated this action to protect his reputation and uphold the rule of law, and will continue to pursue this matter until the court determines the amount of damages to be paid,” Nair said.
Saifuddin, who filed the suit on April 11, 2025, claimed that the defendant had uploaded several posts, including photos, videos, and statements, which directly referred to him on his Facebook and TikTok accounts on March 26 and March 27.
According to the plaintiff, the posts suggested that he was shielding criminals or specific individuals for political or personal advantage and that he had misused his ministerial position for personal gain.
The minister claimed that the defendant’s conduct resulted in the plaintiff being targeted with insulting, abusive, and publicly disparaging statements, thereby harming his reputation, good name, and position.
