GEORGE TOWN, Sept 21 ― The High Court here today ordered Gerakan to pay RM20,460.20 to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng after the state Opposition party withdrew a defamation suit against him last month.

Justice Rosilah Yop today ordered Gerakan to pay the sum to Lim as costs for dropping the suit on August 29.

The suit was then dismissed, but the judge issued a condition on Gerakan that it cannot file a fresh claim against Lim on the same matter, acceding to a request from Lim’s lawyer K. Simon Murali.

Lawyer V. Amareson had represented Gerakan.

In July last year, Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Liang Teck Meng represented the party to file a defamation suit against Lim who was then Penang chief minister.

Liang claimed Lim had repeatedly accused Gerakan, which had controlled Penang before Election 2008, of selling 396.6 hectares of reclaimed land in Tanjung Pinang for RM42.7 million, or at RM1 per sq ft.