Egg importer denied leave in contempt bid against Azmin

The Kuala Lumpur High Court binned an egg importer’s bid to commence contempt proceedings against Azmin Ali.

Judicial commissioner Leong Wai Hong this morning dismissed the contempt leave application by J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd, who is suing the former international trade and industry minister for defamation.

Under the law, a guilty finding of contempt carries jail time and a fine. However, any contempt hearing requires court leave.

J&E Advance Tech claimed Azmin committed contempt via the filing of his witness statement, which allegedly contradicted an earlier filing.

The Hulu Kelang assemblyperson’s witness statement was for May’s civil court hearing of the firm’s lawsuit against him over egg imports from India.

Early last year, J&E Advance Tech filed the suit over Azmin’s speech during a ceramah on March 11 last year.

In his statement of defence, Azmin denied trying to defame the egg-importing firm, stating that he was merely questioning the Anwar Ibrahim administration’s promise for an open tender for all government procurement.

‘It was public knowledge’

The defendant noted that his speech never mentioned the company’s name and was referring directly to the government and businessperson Deepak Jaikishan.

In the company’s reply filed on Aug 11 last year, the plaintiff countered that the beginning and latter portions of Azmin’s speech were defamatory.

The firm claimed that there were allegations that certain quarters were involved in malpractice, which in the minds of any reasonable listener would indirectly refer to the company.

J&E Advance Tech said, despite not being named in Azmin’s speech, it was general knowledge that the plaintiff is the sole importer of eggs from India, courtesy of Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu mentioning its name in Parliament on March 8, 2023.

On March 8 last year, during his Dewan Rakyat winding-up speech on the 2023 Supply Bill, Mohamad said J&E Advance Tech was given a permit to import eggs from India for the short term to deal with a shortage in Malaysia at the time.

The minister said the award given to the company was not through an open tender as the shortage required immediate action by the administration.

Through the civil action, the firm is seeking unspecified general, compensatory, aggravated, and exemplary damages.

The company seeks an injunction to prevent Azmin from further defaming it, as well as five percent interest on any judgment sum awarded, costs, and any other relief deemed fit by the court.

The court has yet to set a verdict date for the main civil action.

J&E Advance Tech is represented by lawyer Bhavanash Sharma while counsel Zarifah Zuhayra Zakaria acted for Azmin.

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