THE Court of Appeal has awarded former Umno lawmaker Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim RM250,000 and RM70,000 in general damages and costs following the ex-Baling MP’s legal suit against Lim Guan Eng. 

A three-member panel led by Judge Azizah Nawawi allowed Azeez’s appeal to overturn a High Court decision dismissing his suit in 2020. 

The DAP chairman was sued by Azeez after issuing defamatory statements during a press conference connecting the Umno man to a payment of RM3 million in consultation fees from the developer of the undersea tunnel project. 

Azeez’s lead counsel, Porres Royan, argued that High Court judge Rosilah Yop’s reasoning in accepting Lim’s plea of justification as defence was flawed and plainly wrong. 

Royan said Rosilah failed to appreciate that Lim had not adduced any proof that Azeez had received money from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd in connection with the project. 

The former finance minister’s lawyer N. Mureli said the statement made by his client was not against Azeez but targeted other parties and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. – August 21, 2023.