The Alor Setar High Court has found home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail guilty of defaming Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor in 2023.
The case revolved around allegations that Sanusi was involved in the theft of rare earth elements (REE) and the misappropriation of federal funds allocated under the Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris).
Justice Johan Lee Abdullah ordered Saifuddin to pay RM600,000 in general damages and RM70,000 in costs to Sanusi.
The court ordered Saifuddin to publish apologies in a major Malay and English newspaper within 14 days, with the wording approved by Sanusi.
A permanent injunction and an undertaking not to repeat the defamatory remarks were also imposed.
In a ceramah on July 15,a 2023, Saifuddin said Sanusi should confirm whether, as chairman of Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI), he had been penalised with a compound fine of RM500,000 over the alleged rare earths theft in Sik.
At a press conference on July 14, 2023, Saifuddin alleged that Sanusi had misused RM1.6 billion in Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) funds – which were meant for road maintenance – for development purposes instead.
