KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — The High Court here today ordered The New Straits Times Press (M) Sdn Bhd (NSTP) to pay RM350,000 in damages to PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa in a defamation suit over allegations of abuse of power and mismanagement at Syarikat Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd.
Judge Datuk Su Geok Yiam further ordered NSTP to pay RM10,000 in costs to Husam.
She made the ruling in chambers before counsel Md Yunus Shariff and Rishwant Singh, who appeared for Husam and NSTP, respectively.
Md Yunus told reporters that the court also ordered the company to pay five per cent interest to Husam effective from the date of filing the suit.
He said the court allowed NSTP a temporary postponement, however, with regards to the damages pending the company's application for a stay of execution on or before March 17.
On April 12, 2013, the court had allowed Husam's suit on the grounds that he had proven his claims.
Husam had filed the suit against Bukit Bunga assemblyman Mohd Adhan Kecik, Paloh assemblyman Datuk Nozula Mat Diah and NSTP on Jan 31, 2008, seeking RM6 million in damages after the assemblymen alleged that Husam was involved in abuse of power and criminal breach of trust in the administration of the state government.
They had also urged the then Anti-Corruption Agency (now the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) to investigate the matter.
The alleged defamatory statements were published in the New Straits Times and Berita Harian dailies on November 28, 2007.
Husam withdrew the suits against Mohd Adhan and Nozula on Oct 15, 2009 after they made a public apology in early June of the same year in a Malay daily. — Bernama
