The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today allowed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to withdraw his defamation suit against Damansara MP Tony Pua for saying that the tabling of amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) was to deflect from the 1MDB scandal.

Justice Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab said the withdrawal would not prejudice Pua, despite the DAP lawmaker being allowed leave to challenge the interim injunction at the Federal Court. 

"This court has the discretion to make a decision when the plaintiff applies to withdraw.

"Here the plaintiff’s application is with no liberty to file afresh the suit. I am allowing the withdrawal of this suit with no liberty to file afresh," the judge ruled.

Justice Zaki also ordered Najib to pay RM30,000 as costs to Pua within two weeks.

It was reported earlier this month that Najib wanted to withdraw the suit, the second of which he had filed against Pua.

The suit was based on a Facebook Live session Pua held at the Parliament lobby in April last year, alleging that the tabling of amendments to Act 355 by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang at that time was to divert attention from 1MDB.

However, Pua, who had been given an interim injunction against Najib since last year, did not want the matter withdrawn.

This is the first time a matter had come before the High Court where the defendant does not want the suit filed against him withdrawn.

Last month, Pua was given leave by the Federal Court to challenge the Court of Appeal's decision, which dismissed his appeal and ruled that it had taken judicial notice that Najib did nothing wrong with regard to 1MDB. 

The case management for Pua's matter at the Federal Court has been fixed for this Friday.

So far Najib has already withdrawn all the suits he had already filed.

He had filed two against Pua and one each against PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli and blogger Chan Chee Kong, PAS journal Harakah, former transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik and Malaysiakini.