Muhyiddin Settles Payment Of Rm1 4mil To Guan Eng Pending Libel Appeal

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Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was found to have defamed Lim Guan Eng by claiming that instructions to cancel Yayasan Albukhary’s tax-exempt status came from the ex-finance minister.KUALA LUMPUR: Muhyiddin Yassin has settled in full the judgment sum of RM1.4 million, inclusive of costs, obtained by Lim Guan Eng against him in connection with a defamation suit over Yayasan Albukhary’s tax-exempt status

Lim’s lawyer Guok Ngek Seong said the Pagoh MP paid the balance of RM1 million into his firm’s clients account yesterday, ahead of the Jan 27 deadline.
He said the first transfer of RM400,000 was paid last December.
Muhyiddin obtained a conditional stay of the judgment from Justice Roz Mawar Rozain on Dec 16. The terms of the stay required him to make payment of RM400,000 by Dec 31, with the balance sum of RM1 million to be paid by Jan 27.
Muhyiddin has filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal against both liability and quantum.
The High Court on Nov 8 entered judgment in Lim’s favour for RM1.35 million in damages and RM50,000 in costs after ruling that Muhyiddin had defamed the former finance minister in statements published on Facebook in March last year.
The statements claimed that Lim had caused the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) to revoke the Muslim charitable organisation’s tax-exempt status and that, in his capacity as finance minister, he had imposed a tax on the foundation and a 45% penalty on tax payable for preceding years.
Muhyiddin was also found to have defamed Lim by claiming that the instructions to cancel the foundation’s tax-exempt status must have come from Lim as LHDN was under his purview at the time.
Roz Mawar said the three statements implied that Lim had abused his power against Muslims. - FMT

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