GEORGE TOWN, Nov 24 ― The High Court here today ordered Utusan Malaysia (M) Bhd to pay RM30,000 in damages to former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng over the publication of a defamatory article in 2015 .

Counsel Datuk N. Mureli, representing Lim, told Bernama that Judge Datuk Rosilah Yop also ordered Utusan to pay costs of RM20,000 to Lim.

Lim filed the defamation suit against Utusan and its feature and analysis editor Zulkilfi Jalil, as the first and second defendants, over the article titled "Pengundi Atas Pagar Jadi Penentu?” published on April 10, 2015, alleging that Lim had full powers over wakaf land and how it could be developed.

The analysis piece was written by Zulkifli and was published in Utusan’s print version and on its website.

On September 27, the case was solved after Zuilkifli apologised to Lim in court as part of the consent judgment. ― Bernama