Fahmi Fadzil

KUALA LUMPUR — The trial of Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil’s (picture) defamation suits against three individuals, including blogger Papagomo, whose real name is Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, will begin on Oct 2 at the High Court here.

Fahmi filed the suits separately against Wan Muhammad Azri, freelance preacher Ahmad Dusuki Abd Rani, and the Facebook account “N13 Kuang” holder Mohd Fauzan Madzlan, on Sept 5, 2023, over an allegation that he (Fahmi), who is also Lembah Pantai MP, misused a place of worship by giving a political speech at a mosque in Rawang, Selangor.

Lawyer Asheeq Ali Sethi Alivi, representing Fahmi, told reporters after the proceeding today that Judge Roz Mawar Rozain had allowed his client’s application for his lawsuits against the three defendants to be heard together.

“The court then set the dates for the trial on Oct 2 and 3,” he said.

Today’s proceeding was also attended by lawyer Mohammed Zamri Ibrahim, representing Mohd Fauzan.

According to his statement of claim, Fahmi alleges that the three defendants, Wan Muhammad Azri, Ahmad Dusuki and Mohd Fauzan, had published defamatory statements accusing him of misusing the mosque for election campaigning purposes and acting contrary to the decrees and orders of the Sultan of Selangor.

Fahmi claims that the defamatory statements were published on Mohd Fauzan’s Facebook account, as well as on Ahmad Dusuki’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on July 31, 2023, and on Wan Muhammad Azri’s TikTok and Facebook accounts on Aug 1, the same year.

According to Fahmi, the statements by the defendants are baseless, and the Selangor Islamic Religious Council has confirmed that he did not make any political speech as alleged by the defendants.

He is seeking general, aggravated, or exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent all defendants from repeating or causing the republication of the defamatory statements. — BERNAMA