The High Court has set Jan 23 next year to hear the defamation suit of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom against National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) director Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir over allegations of fund abuse at the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (YaPEIM).

Judge Nor Bee Ariffin set the date in chambers in the presence of counsel Adnan Seman for Jamil Khir and Abd Halim Abdul Karim for Akmal Nasrullah.

Adnan told reporters that the judge had also set May 13 for case management on Akmal Nasrullah’s application to strike out the suit.

Jamil Khir filed the suit on Nov 19 last year, claiming that Akmal Nasrullah had defamed him through a media statement and on the NOW website on Nov 13 last year.

He claimed that the statement included allegations that he misused YaPEIM funds to finance a 2014 trip abroad, play golf and visit a shopping mall, thus incurring costs of between RM410,978 and RM590,000.

Jamil Khir is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages and an apology as well as an injunction to stop Akmal Nasrullah from making more defamatory statements against him.

- Bernama