.jpg "Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok (left) talks with her lawyer Sankara N. Nair at the Kuala Lumpur High Court July 29, 2019. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa")
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) president Datuk Azwanddin Hamzah will apologise to Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok as part of their settlement of the defamation lawsuit she filed against him.
Her lawyer, Sankara M. Nair, said Azwanddin will pay an undisclosed sum as part of the out of court settlement and publish his apology in The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh and Sinar Harian.
“My client feels vindicated. With an apology, it is an automatic vindication which makes her very happy.
“The public now gets the right message,” said Sankara.
Azwanddin will also retract any statements he posted on his Facebook page on the issue.
On January 8, the Seputeh MP sued Azwanddin for defamation over his remarks alleging she was linked to the company involved in the land dispute over the Seafield Hindu temple.
In her RM30 million lawsuit, she claimed Azwanddin’s remarks made during a rally on December 25, 2018 falsely painted her as, among other things, racist, corrupt, unethical and having abused her power as a minister.
