The Federal Court affirmed today that Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris is the notorious blogger 'Papagomo'.

As such, the country's highest court dismissed the blogger’s application for leave to appeal before Federal Court over a suit filed against him by businessman Abdul Razak Mohd Noor.

With this, Wan Muhammad Azri is required to pay the RM300,000 he was ordered to do for the defamatory postings he made against Abdul Razak ( right ).

Wan Muhammad Azri had prior to this denied that he is the blogger Papagomo.

 

The decision today was made by a five-member panel, led by judge Ahmad Ma’arop.

Justice Ahmad also ordered Wan Muhammad Azri to pay RM10,000 costs to Abdul Razak.

The other judges were Justices Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha, Hasan Lah, Md Apandi Ali and Azahar Mohamed.

 

The Court of Appeal had on March 27 this year upheld the defamation suit but reduced the quantum to be paid from RM500,000 to RM300,000.

On Sept 13 last year, the High Court confirmed that Wan Muhammad Azri, a former policeman, is the blogger Papagomo, a claim he vehemently denied in Abdul Razak's suit, for which he was ordered to pay damages of RM500,000.

Judicial commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera had then called Wan Muhammad Azri a liar in his testimony, despite the denial Wan Muhammad Azri made on the witness stand, after he pleaded in his defence statement to the suit that what was published was fair comment.

Abdul Razak filed his suit against Papagomo, and another blogger, Parpukari, in 2012 for defaming him in a posting alleging that the businessman had earned millions of ringgit from the Commonwealth Games.

Abdul Razak was represented by Reuben Netto while Hanif Khatri Abdulla appeared for Papagomo, an Umno-linked blogger.

Wan Muhammad Azri was also ordered by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to pay RM800,000 in damages for defaming opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

He is also facing suits from PAS vice-president Husam Musa and several PKR leaders.