Former PAS vice-president and Salor assemblyperson Husam Musa has won his defamation suit against Mohd Faisal Rohban Ahmad after the blogger withdrew his application for leave to appeal at the Federal Court yesterday.

Mohd Faisal's lawyer Muhammad Nur Izzat Nordin informed the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria that his client had decided to withdraw his appeal.

The other two members of the bench were Chief Judge of Malaya Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin and Federal Court Judge Zainun Ali.

The bench ordered that damages be assessed by the Kota Baru High Court. The panel also awarded RM5,000 in costs to Husam.

Husam had lost the case at the High Court but won at the Court of Appeal, resulting in Mohd Faisal’s application at the Federal Court. However, following the withdrawal, the Court of Appeal finding stands.

Husam filed the suit against Mohd Faisal Rohban, who runs the ruangbicarafaisal.blogspot.com. This follows a blog posting titled ‘Husam & Tamrin Balun Balak Kelantan RM15 juta’.

The former Kelantan exco member claimed the article which cited him giving 10,000 hectares of land for logging is false, was written with mala fide (bad intention), and had exposed him to public ridicule and odium.

Husam has sought RM500,000 in exemplary, aggravated, and punitive damages from the blogger.