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The Sun

Hannah Yeoh menang saman fitnah

KUALA LUMPUR: Mahkamah Tinggi hari ini membuat keputusann yang memihak kepada Ahli Parlimen Segambut Hannah Yeoh, dan mengarahkan pensyarah Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff, membayar ganti rugi sebanyak RM400,000 berikutan kenyataan fitnah yang dibuatnya lapan tahun lepas. Keputusan itu dibacakan oleh Hakim Datuk Aliza Sulaiman yang membenarkan tuntutan Hannah selepas menolak hujah defendan bahawa beliau tidak mempunyai locus standi untuk memulakan saman tersebut. Saman fitnah yang difailkan pada 2022 itu tercetus daripada dua hantaran Facebook oleh Kamarul Zaman antara 10 dan 17 Mei 2017, dengan beliau mendakwa Hannah mempunyai agenda memurtadkan dan menggunakan platform politiknya untuk mempromosikan agama Kristian. Beliau juga merujuk kepada autobiografi Hannah bertajuk Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey sebagai bukti kepada agenda Kristian yang didakwa, serta mendakwa Hannah berhasrat untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara Kristian. Dalam penyataan pembelaannya, Kamarul Zaman menafikan bahawa hantaran tersebut adalah fitnah dan menegaskan kenyataannya adalah berasas. Judge Aliza further held that if the defendant genuinely believed the plaintiff had committed an offence, lodging a police report would have been sufficient. Instead, the defendant chose to publish it on Facebook. She noted that the publication was not in dispute, and it was evident from both the titles and content that the statements were directed specifically at the plaintiff. The judge also rejected the defence's contention that the first publication was aimed at DAP as a political party, rather than the plaintiff personally. 'Even the defendant's own pleadings mentioned the plaintiff by name, and the title of the article made the target unmistakable. The defendant's personal understanding of the book is not relevant, as what matters is how an ordinary reader would interpret the statements. 'The readers would reasonably believe that the plaintiff was spreading Christianity unlawfully and, by implication, committing a crime,' she said. Judge Aliza allowed the plaintiff's claim upon finding that the plaintiff had established her case on a balance of probabilities and that the defendant had acted with malice. 'The court awards RM400,000 as general and aggravated damages to be paid by the defendant to the plaintiff. This means, RM200,000 per publication and RM80,000 in costs,' she said. The judge, however, dismissed Hannah's application for Kamarul Zaman to issue a public apology, saying that such an apology could be seen as insincere. She also granted an injunction to restrain the defendant, his servants, or agents from republishing the impugned words or similar statements. Hannah was present in court today, accompanied by her counsel, Sangeet Kaur Deo, while the defendant, Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff, was not in attendance.