KUALA LUMPUR: Lim Guan Eng has filed an appeal against the High Court's omission of an order for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to pay interest on RM1.35mil damages in a defamation lawsuit that Lim won.
The notice of appeal was filed at the Court of Appeal through Guok Partnership on Nov 29.
In the notice, Lim stated that he was unsatisfied with parts of the decision by Justice Roz Mawar Rozain dated Nov 8.
"There was no order relating to interests at a 5% rate per annum on the amount awarded by the High Court from the date the action was filed on March 27, 2023, until the full settlement," he said.
Lim had sued Muhyiddin over the latter's statement on the cancellation of Yayasan Albukhary's tax exemption.
On Nov 8, the High Court found that Lim had proven his case against the Bersatu president.
Justice Roz Mawar ordered Muhyiddin Yassin to pay RM1.35mil in damages for defaming Lim.
In her decision, Justice Roz Mawar said Muhyiddin had resources at his disposal to verify and confirm whether his understanding of facts was correct.
The court ordered Muhyiddin to pay RM1.05mil in general damages; RM150,000 in aggravated damages; and RM150,000 in exemplary damages.
The Pagoh MP has also been ordered to pay Lim RM50,000 in costs.
On March 27, last year, Lim filed the suit and named Muhyiddin as the sole defendant.
In his statement of claim, Lim said Muhyiddin had defamed him in Facebook posts after being released on bail by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on March 9, 2023.
Lim, who was finance minister from 2018 to 2020 during the Pakatan Harapan administration, claimed that Muhyiddin's statement also implied that he had cancelled the approved tax exemption status given to Yayasan Al-Bukhary.
Lim, who is also Bagan MP, claimed the Perikatan Nasional chairman's statements were made in order to divert attention away as he was in the media spotlight at that time.
