A new judge will be assigned to hear former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Lawyer Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi, representing Anwar, said judicial commissioner Zaharah Hussain, who was scheduled to preside over the trial next week, had informed parties about the matter.
“She told us that a new judge would be assigned to take over the case and fix trial dates,” Benjamin told reporters following a case management yesterday.
Zaharah previously fixed Aug 18 to Aug 20 as trial dates.
Lawyer Rafique Rashid Ali, representing Mahathir, confirmed that parties would appear before the new judge on Aug 18.
“The Aug 19 and Aug 20 trial dates still stand and have not been vacated,” he added.
Zaharah was the second judge to be assigned to the case, following the recusal of Justice Jamhirah Ali due to family ties with one of the lawyers.
Mahathir is suing Anwar for statements made at a PKR congress on March 18, 2023, allegedly referring to him as racist and claiming that he had enriched his family while in office.
Mahathir also said that Anwar’s statements were made in his capacity as prime minister and, as such, had a far more devastating effect on him than similar statements made by ordinary citizens.
He said the statements were intended to dent his public image as they were viewed and heard by a wide spectrum of people.
He also said that the allegations had eroded his status as a statesman and former prime minister.
He wants Anwar to retract all allegedly defamatory statements about him and publish the retractions on both mainstream and social media.
He also wants Anwar to extend an unconditional apology and undertake not to repeat the same or similar statements.
