THE High Court today ordered a businessman to pay former finance minister Lim Guan Eng RM75,000 in damages and costs over defamatory statements made against him five years ago. 

Judicial Commissioner Azizan Md Arshad ruled that Chang Wei Lu, the defendant, must pay RM60,000 in general damages and RM15,000 in costs, as well as interest at a rate of 5% per annum from October 30, 2019 until full settlement to Lim, the plaintiff. 

Azizan also ordered a permanent injunction against Chang from making defamatory statements against Lim in future. 

Lim was represented by lawyer Simon Murali, while Chang was represented by lawyers YC Wong and KW Lim. 

In 2019, Chang claimed that Lim was behind the Inland Revenue Board’s move to collect RM2.4 million in tax arrears from him. 

Lim, who was then-finance minister in the Pakatan Harapan government from 2018 to 2020, while Chang was a former leader of the Penang Chinese Clan Council and the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce. 

Chang’s statements were later published in two Chinese-language newspapers, leading Lim to take separate legal action against the two newspapers and being awarded RM150,000 in damages in 2022. – Bernama, January 10, 2024.