KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — The government and two others have filed an appeal against the RM2.78 million award given to a few former ISA detainees over false imprisonment and defamation.
The Star reports that on October 2, 2012, Justice Lu Bee Lan ruled that the detention of Batu MP Tian Chua, PAS Hulu Klang assemblyman Saari Sungib, activist Hishamuddin Rais, Badaruddin Ismail and former PKR supreme council member Dr Badrulamin Bahron under Section 73 of the Internal Security Act 1960 was deemed unlawful.
A High Court then awarded the former detainees RM4.05 million in damages over unlawful detention and defamation.
In April 2004, a suit was then filed by the former detainees against former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai, Home Minister and the Government for unlawful arrest and detention under the ISA as well as defamation.
In her ruling, Justice Lau said the court found words uttered by Norian in April 2001 during a press conference in relation to the detention were defamatory.
She also ruled that the detention was based on political considerations, not on matters of national security.
On December 11, 2014, Court of Appeal judge Justice Wahab Patail reduced the general damages to RM10,000 per day for false imprisonment.
He also dismissed the appeal by Norian and two others on the defence of qualified privilege for defamation, and ordered each part to bear own costs.
