THE Court of Appeal today dismissed Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos’s appeal to set aside a High Court verdict that he defamed Petaling Jaya MP and former Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah.

The three-member bench – comprising Justices Abdul Karim Jalil, Gunalan Muniandy and Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim – did grant Yunos’s appeal against damages, reducing compensation from RM300,000 to RM150,000.

Meanwhile, the court also ordered Yunos to pay RM10,000 costs.

Justice Zaidi delivered the court’s unanimous decision, saying Jamal’s statements would have lowered Maria’s reputation, in a reasonable man’s eyes, and subject her to hatred.

He said Jamal also failed to prove High Court judge Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab was wrong in his ruling.

Jamal had admitted making the statements in question but denied that they referred to Maria or were defamatory.

Zaidi said the appellate court found no merit in this.

However, he added that the Court of Appeal found that RM300,000 was manifestly excessive, thus halving the compensation.

Maria sued Jamal for defamation for linking her and Bersih 2.0 with ISIS.

In her suit filed on October 7, 2016, she claimed that Jamal had slandered her and Bersih through online, print and electronic media during a press conference at Putra World Trade Centre on September 28, 2016, and later at the Bukit Aman Police headquarters on October 4, 2016.

In 2018, Shah Alam High Court agreed and ordered him to pay RM300,000 in damages. – Bernama, March 8, 2022.