IN a dramatic enforcement of a court judgment, 14 assets belonging to Sungai Besar UMNO division chief Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos were confiscated from his Ampang Jaya residence yesterday after a High Court bailiff, empowered by a writ of seizure and sale, forcibly entered the property.
The writ was obtained by Seputeh Member of Parliament Datuk Teresa Kok, the judgment creditor, against Jamal, the judgment debtor, to recover the outstanding legal costs amounting to RM66,061.85.
The costs arose from a 2017 defamation lawsuit filed by Teresa, who alleged that Jamal, 56, had falsely accused her, 62, of misappropriating funds from the Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor (Yawas) nearly a decade ago.
Speaking to the media, Teresa’s lawyer, Datuk Sankara Nair, confirmed that the confiscated items, described as household goods, will be auctioned at a later date.
“A High Court assistant registrar and bailiff arrived at Jamal’s home to execute the writ alongside police officers and a representative of Teresa’s legal team,” Sankara said.
He explained that forced entry was carried out after the occupants failed to respond when the court officials rang the doorbell.
The seizure follows previous legal rulings in the case. On 30 July 2024, the Federal Court in Putrajaya dismissed Jamal’s application for leave to appeal the High Court decision, which had ordered him to pay Teresa RM300,000 in damages.
According to Sankara, Jamal has already paid this amount.
The original suit, filed on 6 April 2017, arose from a press conference held by Jamal on 8 March 2017, during which he allegedly made defamatory statements suggesting Teresa had misused state government funds for personal gain.
Teresa’s claim stated that these statements were published in print and electronic media, including Jamal’s Facebook page, portraying her as unethical and personally enriching herself at the expense of public funds.
The High Court, under Judge Datuk Mohd Arief Emran Arifin, had previously awarded RM300,000 in damages and RM50,000 in legal costs against Jamal on 26 July 2022, reinforcing the accountability of public figures in defamation matters.
The recent seizure underscores the legal mechanisms available in Malaysia to enforce court judgments, even when significant time has elapsed since the original dispute. - January 28, 2026
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