Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have reached an amicable settlement in two long-standing defamation lawsuits filed against each other, bringing an end to legal proceedings that spanned over three years.
In a rare display of mutual agreement, both parties withdrew their respective lawsuits in the Kuala Lumpur High Court today. The court subsequently struck out both cases, as well as related contempt proceedings, with no liberty to refile and without any order on costs.
Dr Mahathir, 100, had initiated a defamation suit against Zahid in July 2022 over allegedly disparaging remarks made during a 2017 UMNO division meeting in Kelana Jaya, in which Zahid reportedly alluded to the former premier’s ancestry using the term “kutty”. The remarks were later disseminated via Astro Awani’s YouTube channel and multiple online news portals, where they remained accessible to the public.
In return, Zahid filed his own defamation suit in April 2022, accusing Mahathir of maliciously suggesting during a PEJUANG party event that Zahid had attempted to use political influence to interfere in his ongoing criminal proceedings. The event, held on 23 February 2022 in Putrajaya, was widely covered and streamed live on Astro Awani’s YouTube channel, and further circulated through social media and major online news platforms.
Zahid, who is also President of UMNO and Chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN), claimed the statements portrayed him as someone who sought to exploit his political connections to delay or influence judicial proceedings. He maintained that the comments seriously damaged his reputation and credibility.
Today’s resolution also included the withdrawal of Zahid’s contempt of court application against Mahathir. This stemmed from a press conference held by Mahathir in December last year, outside the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, during which he displayed documents including his identification card to rebut the "kutty" allegation.
During the hearing, Mahathir’s counsel, Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi, expressed gratitude to the court for accommodating the nonagenarian statesman and for allowing him to testify despite his age. Zahid’s lawyer, Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, also thanked the court for its handling of the proceedings.
Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong then formally struck out all suits and related applications, marking the conclusion of a politically sensitive legal dispute between two of Malaysia’s most prominent political figures.
Both Mahathir and Zahid declined to comment further following the hearing. - July 22, 2025
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