KUALA LUMPUR – Former attorney-general (AG) Tan Sri Tommy Thomas has filed a legal action to challenge a report by the special task force that investigated the contents of his memoir My Story: Justice In the Wilderness.
Thomas as the plaintiff filed an originating summons through his firm today and named the task force chairman Datuk Seri Fong Joo Chung, who is the former Sarawak AG and legal adviser, as the first defendant.
Members of the task force, namely former Sabah secretary Datuk Seri Panglima Hashim Paijan; former Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Junaidah Kamaruddin, who is also former director-general of the Legal Affairs Division; former judge and senior federal counsel Datuk Jagjit Singh Bant Singh; lawyers Datuk Shaharudin Ali and K. Balaguru; government representatives Farah Adura Hamidi and Mohd Najib Surip; and the Malaysian government were named as the second to ninth defendants.
In his suit, Thomas seeks a declaration that the report produced by the first to eighth defendants is an illegal document and violates Sections 499 and 500 of the Penal Code and/or Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
He also seeks a declaration that the publication of the said report by the ninth defendant violates the ex-AG’s right to a reputation protected by Articles 5(1) and/or 13(1) of the federal constitution.
Meanwhile, in his affidavit of support, Thomas alleged that the report was published with the intention to harm his reputation, contained false and baseless allegations, and was published with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass him.
Lawyer Mervyn Lai, a member of Thomas’ legal team, when contacted said the suit had been served to the Attorney-General’s Chambers this afternoon. – Bernama, October 27, 2022
