KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 ― Former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik will now have until next month to file his statement of defence in a defamation suit by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the latter’s lawyer Nor Emelia Mohd Iszeham said today.

The lawsuit came up for case management before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Datuk John Louis O’Hara, where Najib’s legal team agreed for more time to be given for the former transport minister to file his defence.

“Actually the defendants have yet to file their defence, we have agreed for an extension of time so they will be filing their defence by December 15 and the plaintiff will file their reply by December 29,” Nor Emelia told Malay Mail Online when contacted today.

The lawsuit is due for its next case management on January 11, she said.

Najib filed the lawsuit on October 27 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, seeking an apology from Dr Ling and an injunction to prevent the latter from further uttering or publishing similar defamatory remarks.

Najib is seeking general damages, aggravated damages, special damages and exemplary damages over Dr Ling’s reported October 3 remarks that allegedly claimed the prime minister “has taken people’s money and put it in his own personal accounts.”

Dr Ling said in a press statement on October 7 that he would not apologise over alleged remarks suggesting that the prime minister had misappropriated public funds, telling Najib instead that he accepted the Umno president’s “challenge” should a suit be initiated.

Najib has been linked to an ongoing corruption investigations on 1Malaysia Development Berhad after US-based Wall Street Journal reported in July some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) was funnelled through several entities linked to the state-owned firm into the prime minister’s personal bank accounts, two months before the tumultuous May 5, 2013 general elections.

But Najib has maintained that he has not taken any public funds for personal use.