Latest news with #Sabaruddin
The Star
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Court dismisses businessman's defamation suit against ‘The Star'
GEORGE TOWN: The High Court here dismissed a defamation suit filed by businessman Datuk Seri Sabaruddin Ahmad against English daily The Star and its journalist Imran Hilmy Tawfik Hilmy over an article published five years ago. The suit concerned a report titled 'Nasi Kandar Shakedown: Penang restaurant claims they are being harassed for protection money', which appeared in the newspaper on Oct 16, 2020. Justice Rozana Ali Yusoff ruled yesterday that the defendants – the journalist and the publication – had not defamed the plaintiff and were protected by qualified privilege. The judge said the article involved matters of public interest, specifically public health and safety, and that the defendants' defence of qualified privilege had been successfully proven. ALSO READ: Nasi Kandar shakedown: Penang restaurant claims they are being harassed for protection money The court ordered Sabaruddin to pay RM30,000 in costs to the defendants, Bernama reported. Lawyers Nicholas Navaron and Soraya Sulaiman Ong represented Imran Hilmy and The Star, while Sabaruddin was represented by S. Raveentharan and R. Asmeeta. In April 2021, Sabaruddin filed the suit, seeking damages, the removal of the article, and a public apology. The original article reported that the owner of a well-known nasi kandar restaurant in Penang had lodged a police report, alleging that he and his staff were being harassed for protection money. The reporter interviewed the restaurant owner and his son, who claimed that a man referred to as a 'Datuk' had threatened that the restaurant would be vandalised and its staff harmed if the payments were not made.
The Star
06-05-2025
- The Star
Court dismisses defamation suit against daily, reporter over 'Nasi Kandar Shakedown' report
GEORGE TOWN: The High Court here dismissed a defamation suit filed by businessman Datuk Seri Sabaruddin Ahmad against English daily 'The Star' and its journalist Imran Hilmy Tawfik Hilmy over an article published five years ago. The suit concerned a report titled 'Nasi Kandar Shakedown: Penang restaurant claims they are being harassed for protection money', which appeared in the newspaper on Oct 16, 2020. Judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusoff on Tuesday (May 6) ruled that the defendants,- the journalist and the publication - had not defamed the plaintiff and were protected by qualified privilege. Rozana said the article involved matters of public interest, specifically public health and safety, and that the defence of qualified privilege had been successfully proven by the defendants. The court ordered Sabaruddin to pay RM30,000 in costs to the defendants. Counsels Nicholas Navaron and Soraya Sulaiman Ong represented Imran and The Star, while Sabaruddin was represented by S. Raveentharan and R. Asmeeta. In April 2021, Sabaruddin filed the suit seeking damages, the removal of the article and a public apology. The original article reported that the owner of a well-known nasi kandar restaurant in Penang had lodged a police report, alleging that he and his staff were being harassed for protection money. The reporter interviewed the restaurant owner and his son, who claimed that a man referred to as a 'Datuk' had threatened that the restaurant would be vandalised and its staff harmed if the payments were not made.- Bernama
The Sun
06-05-2025
- The Sun
Court dismisses defamation suit against daily
GEORGE TOWN: The High Court here today dismissed a defamation suit filed by businessman Datuk Seri Sabaruddin Ahmad against English daily 'The Star' and its journalist Imran Hilmy Tawfik Hilmy over an article published five years ago. The suit concerned a report titled 'Nasi Kandar Shakedown: Penang restaurant claims they are being harassed for protection money', which appeared in the newspaper on Oct 16, 2020. Judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusoff ruled that the defendants,— the journalist and the publication — had not defamed the plaintiff and were protected by qualified privilege. Rozana said the article involved matters of public interest, specifically public health and safety, and that the defence of qualified privilege had been successfully proven by the defendants. The court ordered Sabaruddin to pay RM30,000 in costs to the defendants. Counsels Nicholas Navaron and Soraya Sulaiman Ong represented Imran and The Star, while Sabaruddin was represented by S. Raveentharan and R. Asmeeta. In April 2021, Sabaruddin filed the suit seeking damages, the removal of the article and a public apology. The original article reported that the owner of a well-known nasi kandar restaurant in Penang had lodged a police report, alleging that he and his staff were being harassed for protection money. The reporter interviewed the restaurant owner and his son, who claimed that a man referred to as a 'Datuk' had threatened that the restaurant would be vandalised and its staff harmed if the payments were not made.
Free Malaysia Today
06-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Court throws out defamation suit over ‘nasi kandar shakedown' article
The High Court dismissed a defamation suit brought by Pertiga president Sabaruddin Ahmad against The Star and journalist Imran Hilmy Tawfik Hilmy over a news report, published in October 2020, with costs of RM30,000. GEORGE TOWN : The High Court here has thrown out a defamation suit filed by Pertiga president Sabaruddin Ahmad against The Star and its journalist Imran Hilmy Tawfik Hilmy, ruling that the impugned article was written responsibly and in public interest. Justice Rozana Ali Yusoff said the article, headlined 'Nasi Kandar Shakedown: Penang restaurant claims they are being harassed for protection money', was protected by qualified privilege. The defence of qualified privilege enables journalists to report on important issues – especially those involving matters of public interest – if they do it fairly, carefully, and without ill intent. The case began on Oct 14, 2020, when a nasi kandar restaurant owner lodged a police report claiming extortion linked to threats to poison food. Sabaruddin was arrested at a hotel two days later and remanded for two days. Pertiga president Sabaruddin Ahmad had filed a defamation suit against the nasi kandar restaurant owner, Syed Ibrahim NMA Abdul Sukoor, The Star and its journalist Imran Tawfik Hilmy. On the day of the arrest, The Star published the impugned article after interviewing the restaurant owner and his son, reporting that a criminal probe was ongoing. Sabaruddin was released on Oct 18. The police later concluded that there was no offence or credible evidence, and closed the case on Dec 21, 2020, court filings show. Sabaruddin then filed a defamation suit against the nasi kandar restaurant owner, Syed Ibrahim NMA Abdul Sukoor, The Star and Imran. Justice Rozana, ruling in favour of The Star and Imran, found the article to be factually accurate. She said the newspaper had correctly reported that a police report had been lodged, and that the matter was under investigation. Rozana said the issue involved public health and safety, and that given the popularity of the restaurant, both the reporter and publisher had a duty to report the matter. She also held that the plaintiff had failed to prove that they acted maliciously or that he had suffered reputational harm. The court awarded an overall sum of RM30,000 in costs to The Star and Imran. In 2022, a separate judgment was entered against Syed Ibrahim for filing a false report, with damages of RM50,000 and costs of RM10,000 awarded to Sabaruddin. Lawyers Nicholas Navaron and Soraya Sulaiman Ong appeared for The Star and Imran, while S Raveentharan and R Asmeeta represented Sabaruddin.
New Straits Times
06-05-2025
- New Straits Times
Court throws out defamation suit against reporter, newspaper company
GEORGE TOWN: The High Court here today dismissed with costs a defamation suit filed by a businessman against a reporter and an English-language daily newspaper. Judge Datuk Rozana Ali Yusoff ruled that reporter Imran Hilmy Taufik Hilmy and The Star Publication had not defamed Datuk Seri Sabaruddin Ahmad in the article titled "Nasi Kandar Shakedown: Penang Restaurant Claims They Are Being Harassed for Protection Money", which was published online on Oct 16, 2020. "Having considered all the facts and evidence, I find that the second defendant (the reporter) and the third defendant (the newspaper company) did not defame the plaintiff (Sabaruddin) as alleged. "Accordingly, the court dismisses the defamation suit with costs," she said in her judgment. Rozana awarded costs of RM30,000 to both the second and third defendants. Sabaruddin filed the suit in April 2021, seeking various damages, the removal of the article, and a public apology. The case stemmed from a police report lodged by the owner of a well-known nasi kandar restaurant in Penang, who alleged that he and his staff were being harassed for protection money. The reporter interviewed the restaurant owner and his son, who claimed that a man with the title "Datuk" had threatened them. They alleged that staff risked being assaulted and the premises vandalised if the money was not paid that day. "The 'Datuk' even threatened to poison the food and make it public so that customers would avoid the restaurant," they claimed. In her brief grounds, Rozana said the defendants had relied on the defence of qualified privilege, which they had successfully established. She said that both the reporter and the publication had a duty to report the matter in the public interest, particularly for the benefit of customers frequenting the restaurant. "I am of the view that the article was substantively well-written," she added. Rozana also ruled out that the plaintiff had failed to prove any malicious intent on the part of the defendants. Imran and The Star were represented by lawyers Nicholas Navaron and Soraya Sulaiman Ong, while Sabaruddin was represented by counsels S. Raveentharan and R. Asmeeta.
