TWO DAP politicians withdrew their appeals today against a High Court decision which ordered them to pay RM350,000 to former MCA secretary-general Chew Mei Fun for defamation.

Chew also withdrew her cross-appeal against the quantum of damages.

The Court of Appeal’s three-member bench comprising Justices Supang Lian, Hashim Hamzah and Wong Kian Kheong subsequently struck out the appeal by the DAP leaders and Chew’s cross-appeal with no order to costs.

“We thank both parties for coming to a settlement today,” said Supang who chaired the bench.

Earlier, lawyer Shahredzan Johan, representing Tony Pua and Yeo Bee Yin, told the court that his clients were withdrawing their appeal with no order to costs.

Chew’s lawyer, Rueben Mathiavaranam, confirmed the matter and also informed the court that his client was also withdrawing her cross-appeal with no order to costs.

On November 30 last year, the Shah Alam High Court ordered Pua to pay RM200,000 and Yeo to pay RM150,000 in general and aggravated damages to Chew after finding them liable for defaming her.

Rueben said following the withdrawal of the appeals the High Court decision stands.

“The amount ordered to be paid has been paid to us (his law firm) and held by us pending the outcome of the (appeal) hearing at the Court of Appeal. We are now free to release the said amount to our client,” he said.

In March 2018, Chew filed a defamation suit against Pua and Yeo over allegations that she had approved the sale of a piece of land to Selangor MCA below its market price.

Yeo also made a statement on the issue in a Facebook video where she said the land was used for dragon fruit farming. Both Pua and Yeo made the statements in 2017.

The High Court judge had ruled that Chew, a former Petaling Jaya MP and former deputy women, family and community development minister, had proved that the impugned statements were defamatory of her.

Judge Roslan Abu Bakar also found that Pua and Yeo never verified with the relevant authorities or documents whether Chew was actually a member of the district land committee.

The judge also found that the articles published in The Malay Mail Online, Free Malaysia Today and Nanyang Siang Pau had implied that Chew had used her position and influence in the district land committee to enable the acquisition of the land by MCA at below-market price.

The Court of Appeal panel was supposed to hear the appeal and cross-appeal today.

The court proceedings were conducted online. – Bernama, October 11, 2023.