Kuala Lumpur: The High Court here has fixed eight days beginning Dec 2, 2024 to hear Muhyiddin Yassin’s lawsuit against Anwar Ibrahim over RM8.3 billion in Felda settlers’ debt.
Judicial commissioner Leong Wai Hong fixed the date during case management today.
The trial will run from Dec 2 to 5 and Dec 16 to 19, next year.
Another case management is fixed on Feb 2, next year.
In July, Muhyiddin, who was prime minister from 2020 to 2021, filed a defamation suit against Anwar, the current prime minister.
The suit involved Anwar’s claim that Muhyiddin’s administration failed to write off RM8.3 billion in settlers’ debt as promised.
Anwar’s remarks implied that Muhyiddin had “lied” about the Felda settlers’ debt waiver, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman said.
He also said Anwar did not show “any remorse and continued to rally support for his false and malicious accusations by repeating the statements”.
Muhyiddin is seeking RM400 million in exemplary and aggravated damages, on top of an unspecified sum in general damages.
He also wants Anwar to remove the statements from his social media pages.
Anwar previously alleged that the PN government had failed to provide an allocation in the 2021 and 2022 national budgets to resolve the Felda debt issue.
He said it was only in this year’s Madani budget that RM990 million was set aside as an initial tranche towards resolving the debt.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.