KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — The 2023 defamation suit filed by Datuk Fahmi Fadzil against former Umno Youth exco Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, or ‘Papagomo’, over allegations that the Communications Minister gave a political speech at a mosque in Rawang, Selangor, was settled in the High Court today.
Fahmi’s lawyer Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi said that the case had been resolved amicably.
“This joint statement confirms that, after reviewing additional explanations and official statements in the newspapers, the plaintiff’s speech at Masjid Nurul Yaqin, Kuang, Rawang, Selangor, on July 30, 2023, was not a political campaign or a politically motivated statement.
“The matter stemmed from a misunderstanding that should not have arisen, and both parties have agreed not to make any statements beyond what has been set out in this joint statement,” he said during a media conference after the proceedings before Judge Datuk Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan.
Meanwhile, Asheeq said the defamation suit against independent preacher Ahmad Dusuki Abd Rani will proceed to trial tomorrow, after the parties failed to settle, with Fahmi set to begin giving his testimony.
The minister thanked his legal team for handling the mediation between two of the three defendants.
“Two of the three cases have cleared my name. The earlier allegations were unfair, baseless, and defamatory.
"I hope that in the future, people will verify their facts before posting on social media and take lessons from this incident,” he said.
Earlier, Fahmi’s defamation suit against Facebook user ‘N13 Kuang’ Mohd Fauzan Madzlan, over the same issue was settled in the High Court.
According to his statement of claim filed on September 5, 2023, Fahmi alleges that Azri, Dusuki, and Fauzan published defamatory statements accusing him of misusing a place of worship, namely a mosque, for election campaigning purposes and acting contrary to the decrees and orders of the Sultan of Selangor.
He added that the defamatory statements were published on Fauzan’s Facebook account, as well as on Dusuki’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on July 31, 2023, and on Azri’s TikTok and Facebook accounts on August 1, the same year.
According to Fahmi, the defendants' statements are baseless, and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council has confirmed that he did not give any political speech as alleged by the defendants.
He is seeking general, aggravated, or exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent all defendants from repeating or causing the republication of the defamatory statements.
