Anifah to cross-appeal against Anwar in defamation suit

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman received the go-ahead from the Court of Appeal today to cross-appeal against the RM20,000 costs awarded to him in a defamation suit filed by former opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. A three-man bench, comprising Court of Appeal judges Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid, Datuk P. Nalini and High Court judge Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, allowed Anifah's application for leave to appeal against the order of the High Court for Anwar to pay RM20,000 costs to him. Anifah was awarded that amount of costs after the High Court ruled in his favour and dismissed Anwar's defamation suit in connection with the minister's remarks at a press conference in Washington in May 2009. The Court of Appeal had fixed April 19 for the hearing of Anwar's appeal against the High Court dismissal of his claim against Anifah. Anifah's counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the court that the amount for costs given by the High Court was not reflective of the full-scale trial proceedings. He said he personally handled defamation suits and the range for costs given by the court was from RM100,000 to RM10,000. The court should set principles in determining the amount for costs that should be awarded, he added. Anwar's counsel, J. Leela, objected to Anifah's application for leave to appeal, saying that she had not forwarded any principles of law pertaining to his application for leave to appeal. She said the issue for costs could be dealt with by the Court of Appeal in the main appeal. Anwar sued Anifah claiming the minister's statement at the media conference, during which United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was present, had tarnished his image and depicted him as a person who was unfit to hold political or any other post. The former opposition leader is currently serving a five-year sentence in Sungai Buloh Prison for sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008 after losing in his final appeal at the Federal Court in February last year to set aside his conviction. – Bernama, March 11, 2016.]]>