CHIEF Minister Chow Kon Yeow has been granted a month to file his statement of defence in a defamation suit brought against him by former deputy chief minister P. Ramasamy over the Batu Kawan land deal.
Penang Sessions Court Judge Ooi Sheow Yeah set September 17 as the deadline for Chow to file his defence.
This follows a request by Chow’s counsel, A. Ruebankumar, who asked for a month to file the defence, as he needed further instructions and documents from the Chief Minister’s Office.
“We need till September 17 to file a defence. We need time to, among others, get further instructions and documents from the Chief Minister’s Office,” he said.
Ramasamy’s counsel, Shamsher Thind Singh, did not object to the request. He had earlier told the court that the writ of summons and statement of claim were personally served to Chow on July 30.
The suit against Chow was filed following the appearance of an allegedly defamatory statement about the plaintiff on the chief minister’s Facebook page on October 3 last year.
Ramasamy claimed that the statement had severely tarnished his image and that the post was subsequently carried by local media and shared by online users.
Ramasamy claimed that the post contained false accusations regarding his involvement in the approval of a deal between Penang Development Corporation and Umech Land Sdn Bhd.
Chow’s post suggested that a committee, including Ramasamy, carried out due diligence and approvals for the joint venture project.
Ramasamy denied the allegations in his court filing, saying Chow’s statements were false and defamatory, and caused significant harm to his reputation.
He is seeking damages, a mandatory injunction for Chow to retract his statements, and a public apology; and a prohibitory injunction to prevent further defamatory statements, along with legal costs.
Case management date is set for September 17, when Chow’s defence is due to be filed. – August 6, 2024.
