PAS mouthpiece Harakah and three others have been ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to pay RM200,000 in damages to Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said for defamation on the postponed distribution of school uniforms to students in the state caused by 2,654 overlapping applications.

                     

Judicial commissioner Rosilah Yop found that the publication had committed libel.

“The court also orders Harakah to pay RM30,000 in costs,” she said.

Rosilah delivered her judgment in chambers.

Ahmad - along with Mek Hawa Abdul Rahman and Hamie Azreen Ami Nordin - had named Batu Burok assemblyperson Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi, party secretary-general Mustafa Ali, Harakah editor Ahmad Lutfi Othman, and publisher Angkatan Edaran Enterprise Sdn Bhd as defendants.

However, Rosilah dismissed the claim by Mek Hawa and Hamie Azreen, the distributors of the school uniforms, and ordered them to pay RM30,000 costs to Harakah .

She ruled that the defendants had failed to prove their defence of fair comment and qualified privilege in the article.

Ahmad had filed the suit following the publication of an article in Harakah by Syed Azman alleging that there were elements of corruption in the distribution of school uniforms to students there to the tune of RM30 million.

The Terengganu MB has also welcomed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate  him over the matter.

Terengganu BN executive secretary Mohd Khomsa Chik, who was present, when met outside the court said Ahmad is vindicated by the judgment and the awarding of damages.

He said the court also allowed Ahmad’s application for an injunction against Harakah or its agents from publishing or repeating the allegations.

Azhana Mohd Khairuddin appeared for the defendants.