THE suit filed by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak against Tan Sri Tommy Thomas over part of the contents of the former Attorney General's memoir, 'My Story: Justice in the Wilderness', was settled amicably today.
The settlement of the suit was recorded before High Court Judge Datuk Khadijah Idris, after the court was informed that both parties had settled.
At today's proceedings, Najib's lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said that all parties had reached a settlement that would finally and completely end the dispute.
He stated that, following this, a joint statement was prepared in open court by Thomas and GB Gerakbudaya Enterprise Sdn Bhd, who were named as the first and second defendants, respectively.
Following this, the court recorded the terms of the consent judgment, whereby Najib, as the plaintiff, withdrew the suit without costs and without liberty to re-file.
Lawyer Alan Adrian Gomez read out Thomas' statement stating that he was not aware of any evidence linking Najib to the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu since the publication of his book in 2021.
"I stand by the statement and views expressed in Chapter 42 of my book, My Story: Justice in the Wilderness, that the statutory declarations of (former members of the Special Unit (UTK)), Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri are mutually supportive.
"However, I accept that since the publication of my book in 2021, I am not aware of any evidence linking Najib to the murder of Altantuya, although I understand that investigations were conducted after the publication of the book.
"If my book is reprinted or republished, the above statement should be stated in the book on the same page as the publication of the disputed statement, which is currently on pages 404 to 405," he said.
Gerakbudaya's lawyer, Gokul Radhakrishnan, said his party adopted Thomas' statement substantively.
Meanwhile, also representing Thomas are lawyers Mervyn Lai and Haikaldin Mahyidin.
Najib filed a suit against Thomas and the publisher Gerakbudaya over the alleged defamatory content in the memoir, which focuses on Chapter 42 titled 'Altantuya', which covers pages 400 to 405.
He is seeking unspecified damages and an order that the words and statements deemed defamatory be deleted.
He is also demanding that Thomas and Gerakbudaya issue an apology and seek a permanent injunction to prevent them from publishing any defamatory statements against him.
Meanwhile, at a press conference today, Muhammad Shafee said the settlement of the lawsuit was a victory for Najib.
The senior lawyer said it was because Thomas admitted in his previous statement in court that there was no evidence linking Najib to the murder of Altantuya.
"For many years, Datuk Seri has been deeply troubled by rumours linking him to the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, despite the lack of any evidence to support such allegations.
"He was not involved in any way in the murder, for which two individuals have already been convicted.
"You can consider it a victory. This settlement should put an end to all the rumours and coffee shop chatter linking Najib to the murder.
"Especially when the former Attorney General himself has admitted that since the book was published in 2021, there has been no direct evidence linking Najib to the murder of Altantuya," he said.
Following that, Muhammad Shafee said this should put an end to all the rumours against Najib, who is also a former UMNO President and former Pekan Member of Parliament.
On October 10, 2024, Azilah Hadri escaped the death penalty after the Federal Court commuted it to a 40-year prison sentence.
The decision was made under the Mandatory Death Penalty Abolition Act 2023.
Azilah and Sirul Azhar were convicted in 2009 for killing Altantuya in 2006, and the Shah Alam High Court sentenced them to death.
However, the Court of Appeal acquitted them in 2013, but the Federal Court later upheld the conviction and death sentence in 2015. – January 19, 2026
