Khairy Jamaluddin, a former minister, has taken legal action against Datuk Seri Jamal Md Yunos, the Sungai Besar UMNO division chief, by filing a RM1 million lawsuit over alleged defamation on social media. On May 24th, Khairy, 47, lodged the writ of summons through his legal representatives, Messrs Aizat Izuan Shakeel, at the High Court registry.
According to Khairy's statement of claim, he accused Jamal of making defamatory remarks during a press conference held on January 14th, in conjunction with the Umno general assembly 2022 at the World Trade Centre (WTC). Khairy, who previously served as the Umno Youth chief, was expelled from the party on January 27th.
Khairy maintained that the defendant, using his Facebook account under the name "DS Jamal Yunos (DS Jamal Yunos Official)," uploaded a press conference video that lasted five minutes and 29 seconds. Allegedly, the following day, Jamal also shared the same video on his TikTok account, identified as "@jamal_yunos."
Khairy argued that the statements made by Jamal during the press conference and subsequent publications were specifically directed at him, as his name, Khairy Jamaluddin, was clearly mentioned in the titles and contents of these publications. He asserted that these statements insinuated that he lacked integrity and was involved in corrupt activities.
Furthermore, Khairy claimed that the publication of the press conference video had defamed him, resulting in public humiliation and significant damage to his character, reputation, and good name.
In his legal action, Khairy is seeking a court order compelling the defendant to issue a public apology on his social media accounts and in selected mainstream newspapers, as determined by Khairy. Additionally, he is requesting a court order for the removal of the defamatory publication from the date of the court ruling.
Khairy is also pursuing RM1 million in special damages and an unspecified amount of general, aggravated, and exemplary damages, along with interests, costs, and any other appropriate relief deemed necessary by the court.
The lawsuit has been scheduled for case management at the High Court on May 30th.
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