Mahkamah tolak rayuan fitnah taikun terhadap KM P Pinang

The Malaysian High Court has rejected Tan Kok Ping's appeal of a defamation suit filed against him by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. Tan Kok Ping, who also serves as the Honorary President of the Pinang Chamber of Commerce, challenged Chow's claim that he planned to establish a labor camp on land he owned, without following a public auction process.

The three-judge panel, led by Judge Alwi Abdul Wahab, stated that the High Court did not commit any factual or legal errors in the proceedings. Chow successfully proved the reasons for his defense, calling Tan's actions unjustified, boastful, and conditional. The court instructed Tan to pay Chow RM50,000 in costs. Tan failed to prove any intent to defame during the trial.

In a previous decision, High Court Judge Quay Chew Soon dismissed Tan's defamation case on the same grounds. According to the official record of the Malaysian government, the land in question belongs to the Silver Jubilee Fund, not Tan Kok Ping. The Pinang Chamber of Commerce premises, established in 1935 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of King George V, is governed by the Pinang Jubilee and Wellesley Fund Ordinance of 1935, amended by Parliament's Act in 1969.

The 9-hectare property in Gelugor is overseen by the Chief Minister of Penang, serving as chairman alongside three trustees: K Kirubakaran, Kek Boon Wei, and Lee Wen Qian. Tan Kok Ping was represented by lawyers Kirubakaran, Kek Boon Wei, and Lee Wen Qian, while Chow was represented by counsel Cheah Eng Soon.