KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh said her victory in the defamation suit against former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan was not about money, but about standing up for the truth.

The 47-year-old minister made the remarks after her lawyer, Datuk S. Ambiga, spoke at a press conference following the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Tuesday, which ordered Musa, 74, to pay RM250,000 in damages for defaming her over the issue of Christianisation in a forum six years ago, according to a report published in Sinar Harian today.

The Segambut MP said she felt relieved as the ruling cleared her name from those who had used racial and religious issues to spread false accusations against her.

“This shows that the claims made against me were false. My reputation has been tarnished for six years, but the most important thing is that the court has now vindicated me,” she said.

On Tuesday, the three-judge Court of Appeal panel, led by Datuk Azimah Omar (now a Federal Court judge) and sitting with Datuk Dr Choo Kah Sing and Datuk Dr Shahnaz Sulaiman, allowed Hannah’s appeal. 

Musa was also ordered to pay RM60,000 in legal costs to Hannah.

Hannah, a former youth and sports minister, said she had to live with lies and slander circulating on social media over the past six years. 

She added that the statements not only damaged her reputation but also misled the public, particularly because they came from a former IGP.

“As a public servant, Musa should have acted more carefully and based on verified facts, not allegations that misled society,” she said.

She added that her current focus is to serve the people with integrity, responsibility, and sincerity. 

“May my life continue to honour God through my service to the rakyat,” she said.

Hannah was represented by Ambiga, along with lawyers Sangeet Kaur Deo, Lim Wei Jiet, and Lee Guo Wen, while Musa was represented by lawyer Nur Jehan Abu Bakar.

Hannah had filed the suit on January 30, 2020, over statements Musa made during the forum, including allegations that she wrote the book Becoming Hannah to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation, maintained ties with certain religious preachers and Jewish groups to undermine Islam and the country, and prioritised her personal interests over Malaysia’s.

On December 23, 2024, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judicial Commissioner Arziah Mohamed Apandi had dismissed her suit, finding that Hannah had failed to prove Musa’s statements were defamatory.