Muhyiddin, Puad Zarkashi settle defamation lawsuit amicably

KUALA LUMPUR: The lawsuit brought by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin against Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi, over purported defamatory remarks on his Facebook page regarding the quarantine order involving the former prime minister, was amicably settled in the High Court Wednesday (May 29).

The settlement was recorded by Judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz after Muhyiddin’s lawyer, Rosli Dahlan, informed the court that the parties had reached an agreement with agreed-upon conditions.

Mohd Puad’s lawyer Mohd Shahril Madisa confirmed that both parties had reached an amicable settlement and that his client had offered an agreed statement.

Reading the statement in court Wednesday, Mohd Puad stated that on Feb 9, 2021, he posted a statement on his Facebook regarding the quarantine period under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Exemption) Order 2021, which was deemed untrue and defamatory towards Muhyiddin.

He added that on March 1, 2021, Muhyiddin filed a lawsuit and obtained an ex-parte injunction against him, and he subsequently removed the statement from all his social media platforms.

“The issue arose during the country’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the Government has successfully contained it, and the country has emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

“I am grateful to Tan Sri Muhyiddin for not prolonging this issue any further, and all inconveniences are deeply regretted,” he said.

The agreed statement will be published on the defendant’s Facebook page under the name “DrPuad Zarkashi.”

Mohd Puad and Muhyiddin then shook hands as a sign of reconciliation and amicable settlement, and the court cleared the previously scheduled trial dates.

Muhyiddin filed a personal lawsuit claiming that on Feb 9, 2021, Mohd Puad posted a message on Facebook under the name “DrPuad Zarkashi” with the title “Are there two levels of quarantine?”

He said the post referred to the “PM”, an abbreviation for Prime Minister, and contained untrue, unjust, baseless, malicious, and defamatory statements against him.

Muhyiddin claimed that the statement implied that he and his entourage refused to undergo a 10-day quarantine after their official visit to Jakarta, Indonesia. – BK