KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 — The High Court today set December 30 for the decision on the defamation suit by Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar against PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu and three others over two articles in the Harakah newspaper in February.   

Judicial Commissioner Lee Heng Cheong scheduled the date after counsel Azhana Mohd Khairuddin, who represented all the defendants, informed the court that the defence case had come to a close.  

One defence and four plaintiff witnesses were called on to testify throughout the hearing.    

Earlier in the proceedings, Mohamad Sabu (picture) or Mat Sabu told the court that he agreed there was no other evidence to show that Wan Ahmad was involved in the ‘IC Project’ in Sabah.   

However, during cross-examination by Wan Ahmad’s counsel Wan Azmir Wan Majid, he said that on the basis of Wan Ahmad’s position as the EC secretary at the time, Wan Ahmad was indirectly involved in the matter. 

Mohamad also disagreed that the statements in the articles were malicious and meant to tarnish Wan Ahmad’s reputation. 

He said the statements were on matters of public interest, including the mismanagement of the EC administration in the general election and its handling of the election in Sabah involving voters whose citizenship were doubtful.  

On March 5, Wan Ahmad filed the suit against Mat Sabu, PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali, Harakah printer Angkatan Edaran Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Harakah chief editor Ahmad Lutfi Othman, and the author of the article, Aziz Muda. 

In his statement of claim, Wan Ahmad said Mohamad Sabu had made a defamatory statement in the articles headlined “Wan Ahmad Tak Boleh Dipercayai” and “Ragu Peranan SPR-Wan Ahmad Omar Mesti Letak Jawatan” which were reported and published in a February 2013 edition of the Harakah newspaper following an interview with the author of the article on January 29. 

Wan Ahmad claimed that Mohamad Sabu had said that he (Wan Ahmad) could not be trusted because he was involved in the issuance of blue identity cards in the “IC Project” in Sabah as revealed by a Royal Commission of Inquiry. — Bernama