Fahmi sues Papagomo, 2 others for defamation over mosque event
Published on: Thursday, September 07, 2023
By: Bernama
Communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil (left) says the statements made by Wan Azri Wan Deris aka Papagomo (centre) and preacher Ahmad Dusuki Abd Rani were baseless.
Kuala Lumpur: Communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil is suing three people, including Wan Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, for defamation after they accused him of giving a political talk in a mosque in Rawang, Selangor, recently.
The Lembah Pantai MP also named independent preacher Ahmad Dusuki Abd Rani and the owner of the Facebook account, Fauzan Madzlan.
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Fahmi’s lawyer, Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi, told Bernama the suits were filed on Sept 5 at the High Court here through Messrs Asheeq Ali & Company.
Based on the statement of claim, Fahmi said the three defendants had defamed him by accusing him of campaigning in a mosque in the run-up to the state elections and had, therefore, gone against the Selangor sultan’s decree.
He claimed that these accusations were made on Wan Azri’s TikTok and Facebook accounts on Aug 1. Fauzan and Dusuki had made similar allegations on their social media on July 31.
According to Fahmi, the alleged slanderous statements were baseless and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council had confirmed that he did not give any political speech, as alleged by the defendants.
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He also claimed that the accusations levelled against him were aimed at smearing his image, and made to gain cheap publicity. They were also meant to tarnish his image as an MP and a minister.
Fahmi said letters of demand had been sent to the trio, demanding that they retract the alleged defamatory statements, pay damages, and publish an apology to him. However, none complied.
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According to him, the statements can still be found on the defendants’ social media accounts.
As such, he is seeking general damages, aggravated or exemplary damages, and an injunction to prevent all the defendants from repeating or causing the re-publication of the alleged defamatory statements.
He is also seeking a public apology that must be published in all media outlets and for the trio to retract their statements.
The suits against Dusuki and Fauzan have been set for case management before senior assistant registrar Nur Shasha Hidayah Nor Azahar on Oct 5, and the suit involving Wan Azri is set for case management before deputy registrar Aisyaf Falina Abdullah on Oct 9.
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