PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim be at the Kuala Lumpur court tomorrow to testify over the assessment of damages, which Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia would have to pay to him.

This was related by Anwar's lawyers N Surendran (photo) and Shahid Adli Kamaruddin.

It comes after High Court judge Justice Hue Siew Kheng today dismissed Utusan 's stay application as there is no merit to the application.

"The court orders that defendants pay RM1,000 to the plaintiff," Hue said.

The judge hence ordered Anwar to attend court to help assess the damages.

Utusan was found liable in defaming Anwar over an article it published regarding his interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Utusan failed to cite Anwar's second sodomy conviction in its defence, to possibly reduce the quantum of damages.

The verdict that Utusan had defamed Anwar was also upheld by the Court of Appeal on Sept 4.

'Utusan distorted Anwar's words'

Former Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Justice VT Singham who heard Anwar's suit before he retired in 2013, then ruled the Umno-owned daily had “distorted” Anwar's words to suggest he backed the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement.

The judge found that Utusan did not practise responsible journalism and missed the opportunity to correct itself after Anwar sent a legal notice.

"The articles have a purpose of its own...to give rise to a defamatory imputation that Anwar is condoning LGBT activities to be legalised, which is not true under the circumstances," Singham (photo) had said.

Utusan was then told to pay RM45,000 in costs to Anwar at the High Court, but damages to be assessed later.

Utusan had published two articles in January 2012, to highlight the politician's stance on LGBT issues, following the BBC interview.

After Anwar won the suit, Utusan then applied to amend its defence in the assessment of damages to be awarded to the former deputy premier, by including his conviction of sodomy at the Court of Appeal.

When Justice Singham retired Justice Hue took over the case for assessment of damages .

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