KUALA LUMPUR – The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has once again rejected a letter of representation from Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown to drop a criminal defamation charge against her over alleged statements made against Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah through the book The Sarawak Report - The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose.
The AGC informed of the matter through a letter submitted to Messrs Guok Partnership representing Rewcastle-Brown via email today.
Based on a copy of the letter obtained by the media, the AGC decided that there was sufficient evidence to retain the existing charge against the accused.
The AGC stated that the decision was final and any further letters of representation from the accused would not be entertained unless any new developments warranted a review.
Both deputy public prosecutor Noor Haslinda Che Seman and Rewcastle-Brown’s counsel Guok Ngek Seong confirmed the matter when contacted.
On January 25, the AGC rejected the British activist’s letter of representation before a second letter was filed on March 8.
The letter was filed following a Kuala Lumpur High Court decision on October 31 last year rejecting the defamation suit filed by the Terengganu royal against the journalist over alleged defamation in the book involving the Terengganu Investment Authority.
In the letter, Rewcastle-Brown said the high court had ruled that the relevant paragraph in the book was not defamatory, hence the prosecution would face difficulty in proving criminality beyond reasonable doubt.
On September 23, 2021, Rewcastle-Brown was charged in absentia at the Kuala Terengganu magistrates’ court under Section 500 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail sentence of two years, or a fine, or both, if convicted.
Rewcastle-Brown’s application to transfer the case to the high court here will be heard before judge K. Muniandy on May 15. – Bernama, April 3, 2023
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