Court of Appeal overturns RM50,000 defamation award to Guan Eng

The Court of Appeal in Malaysia has overturned a RM50,000 defamation ruling against Lim Guan Eng, who had sued former housing and local government minister Zuraida Kamaruddin and MalaysiaNow's publisher and editor. The three-judge panel found that the article in question did not contain defamatory statements, and the manner of the High Court's handling of the defence was unsatisfactory.

The legal proceedings began in June 2024 when Lim filed a defamation suit against Zuraida and the two others, alleging that Zuraida made false statements regarding a housing project for former plantation workers in Bestari Jaya. While the High Court ruled in Lim's favor and awarded him the damages, the ruling has now been dismissed.

Lim's legal team had argued that the awarded damages were insufficient, while Zuraida and the other appellants contended that the statements were not defamatory. The Court of Appeal also rejected Lim's cross-appeal, which sought an increase in the damages and an order for him to pay costs.