KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — Former police officer Wan Mohd Azri Wan Deris was today ordered to pay Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim RM800,000 in damages over blog posts as “Papagomo”, despite continued denials that he was not the offending blogger.
Judicial commissioner Rosilah Yop declared that Wan Mohd Azri was the “Papagomo” that was named in the defamation action and ordered him to pay an additional RM50,000 in costs to Anwar.
“We may be similar in features, but I am not Papagomo. It’s like Anwar in the images that he has denied was him,” Wan Mohd Azri said in a report by news portal Malaysiakini today.
In September last year, Wan Mohd Azri was ordered in another trial to pay businessman Abdul Razak Mohd Noor RM500,000 in damages over blog posts penned by “Papagomo” that implied he was a liar who earned millions of ringgit in the Commonwealth Games.
Anwar was represented by PKR vice president N. Surendran, while Jasbeer Singh Kaura appeared for Wan Mohd Azri.
Jasber later said they will appeal today’s decision.
Anwar filed the defamation lawsuit against Wan Mohd Azri in March last year and sought RM100 million in damages over blog posts linking him to a sex scandal then.
In his statement of claim, the opposition leader alleged the posts implied he was immoral and unqualified to hold public office.
Anwar said the blog had damaged his reputation and caused him and his family to suffer.
