PARTI Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (picture) was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to pay RM1.35 million in damages to former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng today.

Judicial Commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain made the ruling after finding that Lim succeeded in his defamation lawsuit against the former prime minister (PM) regarding the issue of revoking a tax exemption for a charitable foundation.

In the writ of summons and statement of claim filed on March 27, 2023, Lim stated that Muhyiddin was detained by the Malaysian Anti-corruption Commission (MACC) on March 9, 2023, and released on bail that same afternoon.

Lim claimed that Muhyiddin made defamatory statements on the same day, followed by further statements on March, 11, and March 12, 2023 on his Facebook page, which were subsequently published by several newspapers and news portals.

The DAP chairman said the defamatory statements by the former PM implied that he had abused his position by empowering or directing the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) to impose taxes and penalties on a charitable foundation when it should not have been taxed. — TMR