Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s legal adviser has insisted that former state Umno youth chief Shaik Hussein Mydin had “verbally apologised twice” in the High Court judge's chambers yesterday.

Legal adviser Raja Syarafina Raja Shuib said judicial commissioner Nordin Hassan had even asked Lim if he were satisfied with the Umno Bagan division chief’s apology.

Lim ( photo ) had then replied in the affirmative, Raja Syarafina said in a statement today.

“Claims by Shaik Hussein in reports by several media that no such apology had taken place, is factually inaccurate and/or intentionally designed to mislead the public on what had really transpired,” said Raja Syarafina.

“Shaik Hussein should refrain from denying or lying in his bid to distort the actual truth,” she added.

Raja Syarafina was referring to Shaik Hussein’s remark yesterday that he had not apologised to Lim but merely retracted his “defamatory” statement that the chief minister had allegedly received bribe from a dental company for a land deal in Penang.

Shaik Hussein had made the statement in a press conference in Penang on Oct 5, 2012.

“I apologised in chambers? That is not part of the settlement. Of course, I shook hands with him but I did not apologise," Shaik Hussein told when met by reporters yesterday at the court house.

Runs a clean administration

Lim had withdrawn his defamation suit against Shaik Hussein after the latter conceded to his demands for an apology in chambers and retraction of the statement, said Raja Syarafina.

Lim had also agreed that the legal cost of the case be borne by both sides.

“Lim had then sued Shaik Hussein to clear his name, protect his reputation and integrity as well as proving that as the Penang chief minister, he is clean by not taking bribes and runs a clean administration,” said Raja Syarafina.

She said this amicable out-of-court settlement through a consent judgment before Nordin was carried out following Shaik Hussein's ( photo ) agreement to tender an oral apology to Lim in chambers and to unconditionally retract the defamatory statements.

“For avoidance of doubt, the verbal apology was not stated in the consent judgment upon Shaik Hussein's express request vide a letter from his lawyers dated Jul 31, which Lim had generously acceded to.

“Nevertheless, the verbal apology was in fact unequivocally tendered by Shaik Hussein to Lim twice before Nordin as well as both parties' lawyers,” Raja Syarafina added.