Indera Mahkota MP Azan Ismail today filed a RM29 million suit against Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad and its news editor for defamation.

Azan filed the suit at the High Coourt registry through Messrs Vasudevan A & Co.

The PKR member of parliament named Utusan news editor Zulkiflee Bakar and Utusan as defendants, claiming that Zulkiflee had writtten a defamatory article against him in the March 6 edition of the newspaper.

In his statement of claim, he said the article reported him as having quit PKR and his photo was published together with those of other politicians who had left the the party.

He said Utusan printed and published a correction on March 8, saying that he did not leave PKR but had quit all his posts in the party, including that of state deputy liaison chief and state membership bureau chairman.

He claimed that the two reports could cause him to lose his dignity.

He is seeking RM29 million in damages, injunctions to restrain Zulkiflee from further writing any defamatory report against him and Utusan from printing such defamatory reports and 8 per cent interest on the amount from the date of filing.

- Bernama