Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor dropped their defamation lawsuit against Rafizi and Media Rakyat owner Chan Chee Kong. — AFP pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor today withdrew their defamation suit against PKR vice-president Mohd Rafizi Ramli and an online news portal owner over oil subsidy.

Lawyer Ranjit Singh, representing Mohd Rafizi, told reporters after case management in chambers before Judicial Commissioner Rohani Ismail.

Ranjit said the court ordered the couple to pay RM20,000 costs to Mohd Rafizi and Media Rakyat owner Chan Chee Kong.

He said the defendants also withdrew their counter-claim against the plaintiffs with no order as to cost.

Lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, representing Najib and Rosmah had confirmed the matter.

Najib and Rosmah filed the suit on April 16, 2015, claiming that Mohd Rafizi, who was Pandan member of parliament, had made disparaging statement against them at a forum on oil subsidy in Bandar Tun Razak on Nov 22, 2014.

The couple also claimed that Chan had also shared the recording in Media Rakyat’s Facebook account which could be freely accessed by Internet users worldwide.

The couple was seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages deemed fit by the court, interest and costs.

On June 20, 2017, the Federal Court granted leave to appeal to Mohd Rafizi and Chan against the Court of Appeal’s decision which struck out their defence of fair comment in the defamation suit.

However, on April 23, this year, Mohd Rafizi and Chan withdrew their appeals.

This is the fifth lawsuit Najib has withdrawn. He earlier withdrew lawsuits against former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik on May 22 as well as Damansara member of parliament Tony Pua Kiam Wee and Chan on May 28 over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue.

On June 1, he had also withdrawn the lawsuit filed against Harakah and Harakahdaily over the same issue while on June 20, Najib and UMNO executive secretary Datuk Ab Rauf Yusoh withdrew their defamation suit against Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd and two others over a series of readers’ posts published on the website in 2014. — Bernama