The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today ordered former deputy land and cooperatives minister Dr Tan Kee Kwong - who is being sued by the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and its investment company - to reveal contents of a meeting that allegedly involved Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and two others.

Judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof made the decision in chambers in the presence of counsel Cheng Mai who represented Felda and Felda Global Ventures Holdings Sdn Bhd and Ho Kok Yew who represented Tan.

Zabariah also set a three-day period starting July 7, to hear the RM200 million defamation suit filed by Felda and Felda Global against Tan for a defamatory article published in Suara Keadilan last year.

In the defamation suit filed on Jan 25, Felda and Felda Global claimed that the words also implicated that the plaintiffs are involved in corruption and have committed an unlawful act.

Felda, the country’s largest oil palm plantation group, and Felda Global claimed that the defamatory words were published in a front-page article headlined 'kontroversi ’.

        

azlan The article continued on page three, under the heading, Bina bangunan RM662 juta hanya libatkan tiga individu (a RM662mil building put up with only three individuals involved).

The plaintiffs contended that the article had slandered them, as the words implied that the acquisition and building of Menara Felda in the Golden Triangle in Kuala Lumpur was to benefit cronies.

Among others, the plaintiffs claimed the words meant that the transaction of the Felda building had caused losses to the plaintiffs and that the terms of the transaction were dubious.

In the statement of claim, the two stated that the allegations were so serious and scandalous that the plaintiffs would be held in contempt and odium by the public.

The plaintiffs also applied for an injunction to restrain Tan, who is the sole defendant, from further speaking or publishing the similar words.     

- Bernama