By Dorcas Ting
KUCHING, Jan 29: The Kuching High Court has fixed February 16 for the mention of the case pertaining to the defamation suit filed by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian against Michael Kong, special assistant to Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
In the defamation suit filed by Dr Sim against Kong, the High Court here allowed the application filed by the defendant that leave be granted to the defendant to file and serve a rejoinder in reply with the cost of RM2,000.
High Court Judicial Commissioner Alexander Siew How Wai today allowed the application filed by the defendant by notice of application with the cost of RM2,000 to be paid by the plaintiff to the defendant subject to allocatur.
“In that, the defendant is to file a rejoinder granted to the plaintiff’s reply and defence in a counterclaim, with the rejoinder to be in the term of the proposed rejoinder annexe to the submission of the counsel for the defendant,” said JC Siew.
JC Siew also fixed February 16 for the mention of this case.
Dr Sim is taking legal action against Kong over alleged defamatory statements on the allocation of funds for food assistance during the Covid-19 crisis in 2020.
It was reported that Kong had accused Dr Sim of “wrongfully taking control” of funding for food assistance allocated for Padungan, Batu Lintang, Pending and Kota Sentosa totalling RM800,000.
Dr Sim accused the DAP leaders of going overboard with their attacks against him “without basis and without verifying the facts beforehand”.
Dr Sim is represented by counsels Datuk Bong Ah Loi and Shankar Ram Asnani while Kong is represented by counsel Chong Chieng Jen. — DayakDaily
