PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional information chief Datuk Seri Azmin Ali has won a defamation case against egg importer J&E Advance over claims surrounding an egg import project awarded through direct negotiations with the government.
In his decision, Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Leong Wai Hong found no evidence that Azmin’s statements directly or indirectly referred to J&E, thus failing the criteria for defamation against the company.
J&E Advance Tech was ordered to pay RM50,000 in legal costs to Azmin.
According to Malay Mail, the judge stated that while Azmin’s statements referenced Deepak multiple times:, “Having perused the impugned statements, it is clear it refers expressly to a person called Deepak; the plaintiff is J&E Advance Tech.
“Nowhere in the impugned statements is J&E Advance Tech mentioned.
“Further, applying the test, I’m of the view it will be unreasonable for any person to believe the plaintiff was mentioned in the impugned statement, as this is not a case when no one was mentioned in the impugned statement.
“The defendant had expressly mentioned Deepak, not once but many times,” he was quoted as saying.
Adding to this, Rajesh Jaikishan, J&E’s general manager and Deepak’s brother, testified that Deepak holds no position as director or shareholder within J&E.
The judge also noted that Rajesh and Deepak both appeared as witnesses for J&E, while Azmin defended himself on the stand.
J&E had initially filed the lawsuit on April 12, 2023, alleging that Azmin’s remarks in a speech on March 11 at Taman Melewar, Kuala Lumpur, were defamatory.
The company, as the sole Malaysian firm allowed to import eggs from India, sought damages and a court order to restrain Azmin from repeating similar statements.
ALSO READ: Egg importer sues Azmin Ali for defamation