The parties in Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu’s defamation suit against former Selangor menteri besar Mohamad Khir Toyo have reached an out-of-court settlement.

 

NONE The terms of the settlement will be recorded in open court tomorrow, before High Court judge Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad, Liu’s  lawyer Mohd Haijan Omar ( on the right in picture ) said.

 

The defendant’s counsel, M Athimulan, said: “We have applied for the trial to be adjourned to tomorrow, to reach the terms of settlement.

 

The parties refused to divulge further details, including who had initiated the settlement.

 

The defamation trial was supposed to start today, with Liu and Khir slated to testify from today onwards.

Suit filed on Oct 6, 2008

Liu on Oct 6, 2008, filed the defamation suit against Khir based on what the former MB said at his press conference on May 8, 2008.

 

Liu in the writ of summons said Khir accused him of obstructing an anti-vice raid at a hotel in November 2007, and further questioned whether Liu was qualified to be an exco member in charge of local government affairs.

The plaintiff also said that even without naming him in the press conference, the defendant had mentioned the exco member in charge of local government affairs.

 

According to the writ of summons, the reports said Liu was immoral, deliberately obstructed the authorities from carrying out their duties to clamp down on vice activities in Puchong, and was not qualified to be a state exco member.

 

Liu claimed that Khir had meant to attack his good reputation with his statement, for his personal interests.

 

In the defence statement filed on Feb 10, 2009, Khir denied he had made defamatory allegations.

 

He argued that the statement was made based on facts, and was done out of national interest and without mala fide.

 

The defendant also claimed that he has the moral obligation and social responsibility, as the state opposition leader, to voice out on the matter.