Tunku Nashrul loses defamation appeal

2026-02-13 - 05:16

The Court of Appeal upheld judgment for RM80,000 entered in favour of Yusoff Rawther after ruling that he was defamed by Tunku Nashrul Tunku Abaidah in a press statement issued six years ago. PUTRAJAYA: Tunku Nashrul Tunku Abaidah has failed in his bid to overturn a sessions court ruling that found him liable for defaming Yusoff Rawther six years ago. With today’s Court of Appeal decision, Tunku Nashrul must pay Yusoff RM80,000 in damages and issue an apology on terms acceptable to him within 45 days. The damages were previously deposited with Yusoff’s solicitors to be held in trust pending the outcome of the appeal. A three-member bench chaired by Justice Wong Kian Kheong said all four defences advanced by Tunku Nashrul – justification, fair comment, qualified privilege and responsible journalism – were unsustainable. Wong, sitting with Justices Firuz Jaffril and Nadzrin Wok Nordin, said it was clear that Tunku Nashrul had defamed Yusoff in his press statement, and that the defamatory matter was published. “It states that Yusoff had disciplinary and drug problems, had been sacked from employment, had concocted stories and committed trespass,” he said. Wong said Tunku Nashrul, press secretary to Anwar Ibrahim, did not challenge the statements during the trial. “We find that Yusoff proved his case on the balance of probabilities. Further, there were concurrent findings by the trial sessions court and the High Court,” he said. The judge also noted that there was no cross appeal by Yusoff on the quantum, but said the High Court’s decision to reduce it to RM80,000 from RM200,000 was reasonable. The bench also ordered Tunku Nashrul to pay Yusoff RM30,000 in costs. Lawyers M Thayalan and Fathima Idris appeared for Yusoff while Azwar Abdul Manab represented Tunku Nashrul. Yusoff filed the suit on Sept 12, 2019, saying the statement issued by Tunku Nashrul had lowered his reputation in the eyes of the public. Tunku Nashrul had issued the statement to deny allegations made by Yusoff against Anwar, then the opposition leader. The statement was issued after Yusoff lodged a police report, claiming that he had been assaulted. Yusoff filed the suit in 2019. In 2020, the sessions court entered judgment in his favour and awarded him RM200,000 in damages. In 2023, Justice Khadijah Idris dismissed Tunku Nashrul’s appeal on liability but reduced the quantum of damages to RM80,000. She also ordered that Tunku Nashrul publish an apology, but stayed her judgment pending the outcome of today’s appeal.