Hans Isaac, Eizlan Yusof to go head-to-head in defamation trial

KUALA LUMPUR – A suit filed by National Film Development Corporation (Finas) board member and actor Datuk Seri Eizlan Yusof against Datuk Hans Isaac in relation to allegations of abuse of power to obtain funds for a production company, Excellent Pictures Sdn Bhd (EPSB), will go to trial.

Eizlan’s lawyer, Datuk Shaharudin Ali, said the court decided the matter as both parties failed to settle the case through mediation.

All parties are required to file the relevant documents relating to the pre-trial by October 18, he said, adding that the court has yet to set the trial dates but case management has been fixed to be conducted through Zoom before judge Datuk Azimah Omar at 11am on October 28.

He said this after the case management today, which was held via Zoom before high court deputy registrar Ong Yen Li. 

Hans, 50, whose real name is Gerald Hans Isaac, was represented by lawyer Isa Aziz Ibrahim.

In the statement of claim made last February 8, Eizlan, 50, whose real name is Idris Md Yusof, claimed that on November 16, last year, at 9.13pm, Hans had written, published and posted a defamatory statement to the Persatuan Penerbit Filem Malaysia (Malaysian Film Producers Association) group chat and shared it on other social media platforms.

The association has 200 members, including the plaintiff and defendant.

Eizlan claimed that the defamatory statement, among others, insinuated that he took advantage of his position as a Finas board member to illegally obtain financial assistance from the government for EPSB, while he had nothing to do with the company in any capacity.

He claimed the remarks by Hans had caused him to lose his dignity, to be insulted and shunned by the general public.

Eizlan is seeking, among others, RM2 million in general damages, as well as aggravated and exemplary damages, interest and costs, apart from demanding that the defendant issue an apology.

Hans, in his statement of defence filed on March 17, said that the claim by the plaintiff that he had nothing to do with EPSB is not true.

He said although Eizlan did not hold any post or shares in EPSB, he had acted in films and drama series produced by the company.

The statement was posted to a WhatsApp group, he added, which is a closed group and any information or anything circulated outside the chat group being the responsibility of the group admins. – Bernama, September 13, 2021