THE High Court has postponed the hearing of a contempt of court application filed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi against former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to 21 July, following a request from the defence team.
The contempt proceedings stem from a press conference held by Dr Mahathir on 5 December last year at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex. The former premier, then aged 98, displayed documents including his identity card to the media following his testimony in a civil suit filed against Zahid over the so-called ‘kutty’ remarks.
Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong granted the postponement after Dr Mahathir’s counsel, Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi, informed the court that the legal team had only received Ahmad Zahid’s affidavit-in-reply on 21 May and required time to consult their client.
"We need to seek instructions from our client regarding the contents of the affidavit, and my client is currently in Langkawi attending the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA’25)," Mior told the court, adding that Zahid’s legal team had no objection to the request.
Counsel for Ahmad Zahid, Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, confirmed the filing of the affidavit and did not oppose the delay.
The court also fixed 22 to 24 July for the defamation trial between both parties and scheduled a further case management session for 19 June.
Dr Mahathir had concluded his testimony in the lawsuit on 5 December, while his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, testified as the final witness on 9 December.
In the underlying defamation claim, Dr Mahathir, now 99, alleges that Ahmad Zahid made defamatory remarks about his ancestry during an UMNO Division meeting on 30 July 2017 in Kelana Jaya.
The statement, Dr Mahathir claims, was subsequently republished on Astro Awani’s YouTube channel and various news websites, making it widely accessible to the public.
The lawsuit was initiated on 20 July 2022. - May 22, 2025
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