THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has allowed a company to serve former international trade and industry minister Mohamed Azmin Ali a defamation suit via a substitute service.

Elyse Ng, the lawyer for egg importer J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd, said the company could not serve copies of the writ of summons and statement of claim on Azmin personally despite numerous attempts.

Pursuant to the matter, the plaintiff filed an application seeking to serve copies of the documents through a substituted service, with the court giving its green light for the application last Friday.

“The court allowed the application on April 28 and it instructed us to serve the cause papers on him by publishing the notice in a local newspaper,” Ng said. 

Substituted service is typically granted only when the plaintiff has made a good faith effort to serve the defendant through traditional means. It is used when personal service cannot be effected. 

On April 3, J&E Advance Tech sent the Bersatu politician a letter of demand for RM20 million in damages for alleging that businessman Deepak Jaikishan obtained a government contract to import eggs via direct negotiation.

The company is suing Azmin, who is Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman, for the accusations made in his speech during the “Ceramah Perdana: Solidariti Menentang Jenayah” gathering at Dewan Dato Ustaz Gadzil Noor, Taman Melewar, Kuala Lumpur on March 11.

Putrajaya had allowed the import of eggs from India as a temporary measure to overcome a shortage while domestic producers ramped up supplies.

Deepak previously denied links to J&E Advance Tech. Checks with the Companies Commission of Malaysia revealed that Deepak was not listed as a shareholder or director in the firm. – May 2, 2023.