Gov’t skips DOJ hearings, but will go for PAS’ London suit

Hadi draws first blood in lawsuit against Sarawak Report editor

Doc: Massive damage has already been done by Sarawak Report on allegations that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and PAS’ reputation as Umno’s crony and for accepting personal “donations” from Prime Minister Najib Razak.

On that note, Sarawak Report has been very, very successful and this preliminary court ruling on the deposits is not going to change the perception of the common folk that PAS is an extension of Najib and Umno.

Gerard Lourdesamy: Sarawak Report sought security for costs against Hadi because he is a foreign plaintiff with no assets in the UK. Sarawak Report argued that if the libel suit is dismissed, it cannot recover the costs against Hadi in Malaysia because of the perceived lack of judicial independence and possible political intervention in the case.

Hadi, on the other hand offered to deposit a lesser sum as security for costs, which Sarawak Report rejected as inadequate. The master of the High Court in London, who is equivalent to our deputy or senior assistant registrar, dismissed Sarawak Report‘s application and ordered costs of the application of £15,000 to be paid by Sarawak Report as a deposit.

But the court also ordered Hadi to deposit the sum that he offered as costs, which is £14,400, to the court within 21 days. Sarawak Report has 28 days to file its defence. The website was given liberty to request further security for costs as the case progresses.

Our law grants reciprocal recognition and enforcement of an English High Court judgment here. So it was a draw.

Basically: Wow, Hadi’s aide seems almost triumphant when the London court said Malaysia is not corrupt. If that’s not proof enough, PAS is now BN’s ulama wing; I don’t think one needs to look further.

Vijay47: Hold it a moment, all you Hadi supporters, sorry to rain on your parade but don’t break out the sirap bottles yet. This decision, in a way, has nothing to do with the actual defamation suit against the Sarawak Reporter‘s editor.

It was in response to the mini-suit by Clare Rewcastle-Brown to compel Hadi to pay a deposit in the event he loses the case and flies the coop. She effectively lost this matter because she was unable to tender evidence that the courts in Malaysia were corrupt.

This is not to say that the English court had ruled that our courts are as pure as vestal virgins; that part where “the court cannot accept that another sovereign state that has good ties and relationship with the UK is corrupt” is a pure Hindi-movie embellishment by Hadi’s secretary.

To use Najib’s favourite word, the decision was based solely on a technical foundation – inability to submit evidence.

Tan Heng Ken: Strangely, the Malaysia High Commission staff saw it fit to monitor this case that does not have any direct link to the government. On the other hand, they have decided not to send any representation or observer to the US DOJ kleptocracy case that clearly involves our money.

Come GE14, do you still want them to take charge?

Anonymous 2436471476414726: The Malaysian High Commission has no business to send its officials to monitor this case. This is purely a civil suit between two individuals: Hadi against Clare Rewcastle Brown.

Don’t waste taxpayers’ money on something that is of no concern to the government.

And don’t give us that bull of a story that it touches on the prime minister, the Malaysian government and the judiciary. The US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil suits also touch on the prime minister (code-named Malaysian Official 1), the government and the judiciary.

Yet the government said there is no necessity to send representatives to monitor the case.

Between the two, the DOJ civil suits are far more relevant to the government. For goodness sake, US$1.7 billion worth of assets is at stake! Where is your sense of priority and indeed, your sense of patriotism?

Kangkung: Is this Hadi’s defamation suit or is it the Umno government’s suit against Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown? Why were Umno officials the ones there in full force at the UK court?

Hadi must have a lot of money to pay his solicitors Carter-Ruck, at over £500 (RM3,000) per hour.

HaveAGreatDay: Whatever the reasons given by both sides, I see in the decision as that of a judiciary that will rule a case on the facts before it. I cannot say the same for our own judiciary.

Vgeorgemy: The party that believes only their religious people are able to disburse justice now celebrates the justice disbursed by other systems and its people.

It is true, as learned people say, that God works in mysterious ways.

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