Sistem Televisyen (M) Bhd group managing editor Mohd Ashraf Abdullah today testified at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur that the television station is standing by its 2013 broadcast accusing former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as the “dalang” (puppet master) behind the Lahad Datu incursion.

The report was aired on March 2 that year.

This is despite Utusan Malaysia already retracting its report on which the news broadcast was based on.

Ashraf, who took the stand as the third witness for the defence, pointed to the consent judgment drawn up between Anwar and Utusan when cross-examined by Anwar's lawyer S Ambiga.

Ambiga: Utusan Malaysia is not standing by its report anymore but you do?

Ashraf: Yes.

Ambiga: Do you take responsibility for what TV3 had broadcast regardless of the Utusan's retraction?

Ashraf: Yes.

Ambiga: Based on the consent judgment, did you not consider withdrawing the report?

Ashraf: Utusan Malaysia's action has no effect on us. Our position remains the same. We still maintain our position that the Utusan article was verified and it was the truth (then).

Ambiga: Utusan's article is false as it misrepresents what the three sources of the reports had reported.

Ashraf: I do not agree.

The three sources cited by Utusan were Reuters, Manila Post and Philippine Inquirer. 

However, none of the reports cited in fact named Anwar directly as a puppet master behind the Lahad Datu incursion.

In showing the reports, the lawyer said it only reported a Sabah politician who is aligned to Anwar had allegedly met Kiram.

She also questioned where it was mentioned that Anwar was the "dalang".

To this, Ashraf maintained that in his understanding, the Utusan report states there is a link to the opposition leader.

Ambiga: Utusan Malaysia mentioned "kaitkan" (linked) but your report stated the plaintiff as being the "dalang" (puppet master) behind the bloody tragedy in Lahad Datu,

Ashraf: "Kaitkan" (linked) does not means named.

Ambiga: What are you saying, he (Anwar) is not the "dalang”?

Ashraf: Yes that is how I read the report.

He agreed with Ambiga that the allegation levelled against Anwar was serious but agreed he did not see the need to verify the report with the opposition leader as he thought his other editors had done their job and the report was from the three reliable sources.

When asked if Kamaruddin Mape, who was the reporter then and now news editor who wrote the script, did not get the plaintiff's side of the story, the witness said he could not recall if he had directed Kamaruddin to do so.

“It depends, some stories we carry do not need verification if it comes from a third party. It is not necessary,” he said.

He then disagreed with Ambiga's suggestion that the Utusan report was a misrepresentation of the sources cited. 

Ashraf said it was a mere coincidence that the timing of the report was before the general election and he disagreed that the news was presented to cause maximum damage on Anwar and that it was to serve TV3's political masters.

In re-examination by his lawyer TH Liew, the witness explained that he stood by the broadcast as the Utusan story had quoted various sources, which he deemed were reliable.

“We have no reason to believe that the sources which had been given are false,” he said.

He said there are certain criteria used for verification of news and what the TV station does is that it verifies whether the source quoted is reliable.

“In this case, all the sources quoted were reliable. Reuters is an international news agency, Inquirer and Manila Times are a reputable news organisation."

He also told the court that on that day, he gave the green light for that report to be broadcast.

Justice Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim fixed Aug 10 for case management and to fix a date for submissions.