The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today dismissed a suit filed by a lawyer against Malay Mail Sdn Bhd and its former journalist over a article on a hearing of a court case.

In her judgment, Judge Yeoh Wee Siam ruled that Malay Mail and TK Letchumy Tamboo, named the defendants in the suit, were not liable for defamation.

The suit was filed by Mohamad Bustaman Abdullah last year.

In the statement of claim, he stated that the defendants, had on June 27 last year, written and published and article on a court hearing of a case with the title ‘Judge Walks Out As Question Turn Personal’, in the Malay Mail newspaper and its website.

He claimed the words in the article were defamatory, not true and affected his reputation as a solicitor.

Mohamed Bustaman claimed that he was only doing his job as a solicitor in the trial of the case.

The defendants, in their statement of defence, said the article was published based on qualified privilege, justification and fair comment.

- Bernama