KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The High Court today fixed Dec 14 to set the date for an inter-partes hearing of an injunction application in Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat's RM500 million suit against Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) director Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing for defaming him.
Deputy registrar Hilmiah Yusof fixed the date in chambers.
Ong's counsel Ronnie Tan Tuan King told the media that Hilmiah ordered both parties to file affidavits before the date.
On Aug 24, Ong, who is also MCA president, filed the suit against Tiong, the member of Parliament for Bintulu, claiming that Tiong had issued a defamatory statement about giving him RM10 million, which was published in the Malaysiakini website on Aug 12.
In his statement of claim, he said the statement was untrue and he wanted Tiong to retract it and publish an apology to him in all the major newspapers.
He is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to restrain Tiong or his agent from further making any defamatory statement against him regarding the issue.
Ong claimed that the statement was made in bad faith and with malice to prevent a fair and correct investigation into the abuse of funds by the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and Kuala Dimensi's role in the affair.
Kuala Dimensi is the turnkey contractor for the PKFZ project which is also the subject of a probe by the Public Accounts Committee.
Ong said the statement had tarnished his reputation, image, integrity and good name in the eyes of the public.
He said the accusations in the statement were aimed at damaging his name as a national leader and had put him in public scandal, odium and contempt.
He said that by a letter dated Aug 13, he demanded that Tiong, chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC), retract the statement and apologise but to date Tiong had refused to do so. — Bernama
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