PAS confident of winning case, court dismisses most off Sarawak report's defence
MARANG, May 1 (Bernama) -- The decision by a High Court in London in dismissing most of the defence by Sarawak report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown in a suit filed by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang over a disparaging article allegedly published by the news portal on Aug 6, 2017, has given a moral victory to the party, said Abdul Hadi´s political secretary, Dr Samsuri Mokhtar.
He said the court rejected nearly 70 per cent of the defence submitted by Recastle-Brown, proving that the allegation by the news portal that the party accepted cash from UMNO leaders was outright defamation.
"There were 103 defence statements submitted by Rewcastle-Brown, but 70 per cent of them were dismissed by the court on the grounds that they did not concern the party president, " he said.
He was speaking at a media conference which was also attended by PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan and PAS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
The court, during an almost four-hour hearing of the suit by Abdul Hadi yesterday, also ordered Sarawak Report to pay £41,400 ( RM 227,700.00) in costs to the PAS president within 14 days.
It set April 2019 for a full trial of the case.
-- BERNAMA
