KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 ― Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali will be withdrawing his appeal against The Star chief executive officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai that was made to revive his defamation suit after it was struck out.

In a report by English daily The Star, Wong’s lawyer said they received a letter from Ibrahim’s legal team over the Malay rights group’s president’s instruction to withdraw the appeal without stating the costs.

“Wong is agreeable for withdrawal of the appeal with no order as to costs,” lawyer Yee Mei Ken was quoted as saying.

“The deputy registrar has directed Ibrahim's lawyer to file a notice of discontinuation within two weeks. It will be end of the matter,” she added.

The Star also reported that the Court of Appeal deputy registrar Harith Sham Mohamed Yasin was notified on Ibrahim’s decision to withdraw and has asked both sides to sign in approving the withdrawal.

The Perkasa chief had allegedly called in January last year for bibles to be torched following reports claiming that Malay-language bibles were distributed at a school in Penang.

Ibrahim, who named Wong and Star Publications (M) Bhd as defendants, claimed the words published by The Star newspaper on November 2 last year in Wong’s column titled “A mind-boggling spin” implied that he was stupid, a religious extremist who had mocked Christianity and ought to be charged under the Sedition Act.

Wong, who is also The Star Publications (M) Bhd group managing director, had applied to strike out Ibrahim’s December 26 defamation suit on the grounds of fair comment, justification and qualified privilege.

After the Shah Alam High Court struck out Ibrahim’s defamation lawsuit on May 11, the Perkasa president filed an appeal.