Anwar's defamation suit against Mazlan fails to be settled via mediation

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defamation suit against former Permatang Pauh Barisan Nasional candidate Dr Mazlan Ismail and two others for linking him with corruption, today failed to be settled amicably through mediation.
This is because the defendants - Mazlan, Sistem Television Malaysia (TV3) and Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd did not agree to the terms of the proposed settlement by Anwar, said lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, who is representing the former opposition leader.
However, the terms of the settlement were not disclosed to the media.
Therefore, the suit will proceed with the hearing before High Court Judge Datuk John Louis O'hara set for five days beginning May 9, Sangeet told the media here.
The mediation process was conducted before justice Zainal L. Salleh at the Kuala Lumpur Court Mediation Centre, here.
On Jan 7, justice O'hara suggested that the suit be settled by mediation.
Anwar, 68, filed the suit on Oct 15 last year and named Mazlan as the first defendant and TV3 and Utusan Melayu as the second and third defendants, respectively.
He claimed Mazlan held a media conference and had uttered seriously defamatory and malicious words implying that he was a corrupt person without ethics, had engaged in criminal activities and was a dishonest and immoral person.
Anwar claimed that Mazlan had caused TV3 to broadcast the alleged defamatory words on its prime time news, Buletin Utama on Aug 2, 2013, and Utusan Malaysia to publish it the following day (Aug 3).
The plaintiff is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to restrain the defendants from repeating or further publishing the alleged defamatory remarks. — Bernama