THE suit filed by Ismail Sabri Yaakob against former Bersatu Wanita chief Anina Saadudin for allegedly publishing defamatory words against him will be heard in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on October 1.

Judge Mohd Firuz Jaffril set the date after the case was mentioned before him today.

Anina, 46, who is a housewife, said she could not afford to appoint a lawyer, and would defend herself in court.

“The suit will go ahead. I came to court with the belief that the court will be fair, and it is a place where I can speak the truth,” she said.

On March 11, Ismail Sabri, as the plaintiff, obtained an interim injunction order from the court to force Anina to remove all defamatory statements about him on her Facebook page.

Anina had allegedly claimed that Ismail Sabri, as a senior minister (security cluster) and defence minister, was not competent in carrying out his duties during the implementation of the movement-control order.

Meanwhile, Anina informed the court that she had deleted the postings mentioned in the suit and had also filed her statement of defence today.

When asked by judge Firuz whether she wished to set aside the injunction order, Anina replied: “I have no problem for it (the injunction) to be continued.”

Lawyer Ragunath Kesavan, who represented Ismail Sabri, said he took note the defendant had deleted the postings made on her social media account and would not object if Anina required time to appoint a lawyer.

Firuz also set June 21 for a virtual case management.

“I will give time (to Anina) to appoint a lawyer for counsel, as there is a long way to go for the hearing, where the earliest it can be heard is on October 1. The witness statements must be filed two weeks before the trial.

“The injunction order is upheld,” the judge said.

On March 5, Ismail Sabri filed the suit against Anina claiming she had published 13 defamatory words against him as well as uploaded a video on her Facebook page, alleging, among other things, that the minister was incompetent in carrying out his duties while implementing strict regulations to combat the spread of Covid-19 throughout the MCO. – Bernama, March 25, 2021.