The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today fixed Oct 8 for case management where news portal The Malaysian Insider must submit its defence against the defamation suit filed by Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

 

It will be heard before Justice Nor Bee Ariffin.

 

Following the filing of the news portal's defence, Khalid's lawyers are also required to give their reply.

 

It was reported that Khalid had filed the suit against the news portal following a series of articles and commentaries as if it was ‘running an anti-Khalid' campaign to force him out of office.

"Issue sensationalised'

It had been reported that Abdul Khalid filed the suit last month, where he named the portal's chief executive officer and editor Jahabar Sadiq, its Bahasa Malaysia editor, Amin Shah Iskandar and The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd, as defendants. 

 

Abdul Khalid claimed the articles had put pressure on him to resign.

The Selangor MB alleged the defendants published those articles to sensationalise the issue and that the portal acted mala fide (bad intention) in publishing it to advance its commercial interests. 

 

Abdul Khalid alleged the articles had tarnished him as MB and Port Klang assemblyperson as well as Bandar Tun Razak MP.

 

The publication had affected his reputation as a politician, corporate figure, and a deputy presidential candidate for PKR and subjected him to public scorn. 

 

Khalid said the publication of those articles had among others meant that he is “untrustworthy, not ethical, is corrupt, has a bad personality, unprincipled, does not have integrity, should not be the Selangor MB and should relinquish his state chief executive post”.