UUM lecturer to appeal RM400k defamation ruling
PETALING JAYA : Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer Kamarul Zaman Yusoff will appeal the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision ordering him to pay RM400,000 in damages for defaming Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh through two Facebook posts in 2017.
Kamarul, who was not present in court today, said his appeal would challenge both the factual findings and the legal basis of the ruling.
'I would like to stress that I respect the court's decision, but at the same time, I disagree with the findings that led to today's verdict,' he said in a statement.
'Therefore, I will file an appeal soon with the appellate court to challenge the High Court's decision.'
Adding that the case was far from over, he urged all parties to allow a thorough review of the matter by the appellate court.
He also expressed confidence in the legal system, which he said allows individuals to seek justice through appeals.
'I will exercise my legal rights to defend my freedom as enshrined in the Federal Constitution,' he said.
Earlier today, Justice Aliza Sulaiman awarded RM200,000 as general and aggravated damages for each defamatory post. The court also ordered Kamarul to pay RM80,000 in legal costs.
Yeoh, the youth and sports minister, filed the lawsuit in 2022 over Kamarul's Facebook posts.
One was an article titled 'Hannah Yeoh contoh hipokrasi terbesar DAP di Malaysia' (Hannah Yeoh, the biggest example of DAP hypocrisy in Malaysia), and the other was a police report that he lodged against her and later shared online.
Yeoh claimed that Kamarul, in both documents, accused her of 'proselytising Christianity through her politics', promoting a 'Christian agenda', and intending to 'convert Malaysia into a Christian country'.
She asserted that the statements were offensive, untrue, and a malicious attempt to damage her reputation.
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