KUALA LUMPUR: Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua has withdrawn his application to strike out a defamation suit filed against him by water concessionaire Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas).

Pua's lawyer Ang Hean Leng told reporters that Pua withdrew his striking out application of the suit after agreeing for all issues to go to trial.

The matter has been fixed for case management on June 20.

On Thursday, the matter came up for case management before Justice Amelia Tee Hong Geok Abdullah. Representing Syabas was lawyer Mark Lau, while lawyer Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi appeared for Pua.

In the suit filed on Jan 28, this year, Syabas claimed Pua had uttered defamatory words in a Nanyang Siang Pau article on Nov 16, last year, entitled 'Tony Pua: Selangor government must have water rights to prevent rate hikes'.

In his statement of defence filed on March 14, this year, Pua argued that Syabas, as a public authority performing a public service, had no locus standi in making a defamation claim.

He also said that he had a legal, moral and social duty as an MP and a member of the Selangor government Water Review Panel to publish those words as the public had a right to know.

Pua also filed a counter-suit, claiming that Syabas' suit was frivolous, vexatious and amounted to an abuse of the court process, which resulted in him suffering losses and unnecessary harassment and expenses.

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