Caprice loses bid to delay RM200,000 payment to preacher Ebit Lew

Mahkamah Sesyen Shah Alam has denied Malaysian social media commentator Ariz Ramli's request to postpone paying RM220,000 in damages to Ebit Irawan Ibrahim Lew, a witness, for defamation. The ruling was made by Judge Zuhrina Mohamed Nor who ordered Ariz, 40, to deposit the damages and a RM2,000 fee into the lawyer representing Ebit.

In August 2023, the court had previously ordered Ariz to pay RM200,000 plus RM20,000 in costs to Lew for making seven statements, including seven written testimonies with Indonesian social media influencer Mondy Tattoo, in 2023. The court also instructed Ariz to apologize and retract the statements within a 48-hour window. In September 2023, Ariz uploaded a video clip from a podcast episode featuring Mondy.

Ebit alleged that seven statements in the video portrayed him as someone who sexually assaulted a female Indonesian individual, demeans him due to his religion, and takes advantage of his faith, thereby tarnishing his reputation. Ebit claimed Ariz acted with malicious intent when he published the video without first verifying the facts, which led to him becoming a target of negative comments on social media.

Ebit was represented by lawyers Akberdin Abdul Kader and Fatin Izyan Mazlan, while Ariz was represented by Rezan Ezra Muhammad Mosinal.