SHAH ALAM — Green Party secretary-general Abdul Razak Ismail has expressed his regrets and retracted his statements against the Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) on the redevelopment of the Shah Alam sports complex, particularly the Shah Alam Stadium.
Abdul Razak read out his statement of regret in the Shah Alam High Court today as part of a settlement between both parties.
MRCB had sued Abdul Razak for defamation following numerous false and misleading statements the former had made on his social media platforms and via press statements.
“I would like to express my deep regret in respect of the press releases issued by me on March 21, 2023 and April 3, 2023, as well as the publications made by myself on my Facebook account bearing the name Abdul Razak Ismail which have offended you.
“I would like to offer my deepest and most sincere regret in my personal capacity as the publication had offended you,” Abdul Razak Ismail said in court today.
The terms of the consent judgment required Abdul Razak as defendant to read out his statement to MRCB.
Judge Datuk Khadijah Idris who presided over today’s case thanked both parties for reaching an amicable settlement.
MRCB filed the suit at the Shah Alam High Court on June 1, 2023.
In their court documents, MRCB referred to several statements made by Abdul Razak between March and June last year.
These statements refer to several publications by Abdul Razak last year alleging that a project to develop the Shah Alam’s sports complex was not awarded through a transparent open tender procedure.
Although the defendant initially maintained that his statements were directed at the Selangor Government and not MRCB, the plaintiff said Abdul Razak specifically referred to “MRCB” by name.
Speaking to Scoop, MRCB’s lawyer Datuk Selva Mookiah said the company took action to protect its reputation given the allegations concerned its integrity and governance.
Selva also mentioned that MRCB maintains its position that the freedom to express opinions does not mean the right to defame.
“Today was fixed for the first day of trial and Abdul Razak expressed his regret, retracted his statements as well as on Facebook, and has to enter into a consent judgment with MRCB.
“He also gave an undertaking to refrain from defaming MRCB moving forward,” Selva said. – October 22, 2024