THE high court has set a new date for case management of former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali’s RM10 million suit against DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang for allegedly defaming him in an article on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

Lawyer Harshaan Zamani, representing Lim, told Bernama that the matter was originally fixed for today before high court judge Azimah Omar, but it was vacated due to the extension of the movement-control order to April 14.

He said the court has set April 29 for the next case management.

During the last proceedings, the court fixed the trial for September 28 to 30, and October 1 and 2, he added.

Apandi sued Lim on July 5 last year, and in his statement of claim, said the latter, on May 6 the same year, had written and caused to be published an article titled “Dangerous fallacy to think Malaysia’s on the road to integrity” on the Malaysiakini portal.

He said the allegedly libellous words in the article meant that he was involved in a crime and abetted in the 1MDB scandal, was a person with no morals and integrity, was unethical, and abused his power when he was A-G.

Apandi, who held the post from July 27, 2015 to June 4, 2018, said the words in question were untrue and written with the intention of tarnishing his image and credibility as a former A-G.

He is seeking aggravated and exemplary damages, RM10 million in general damages, an injunction to prevent Lim and/or his agents from publishing the allegedly defamatory words again, and other relief deemed fit by the court. – Bernama, April 2, 2020.