Zairil drops defamation suit after activists retract defamatory remarks
GEORGE TOWN: Two individuals representing different non-governmental organisations have retracted their statements and expressed sincere regret to state executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari over defamatory remarks made against him.
In a Facebook post, Zairil said that following the retraction, he had agreed to withdraw his defamation suit against Khoo Salma Nasution and Ravinder Singh.
The case reached a conclusion at the Penang Sessions Court here today.
"All parties have acknowledged that the allegations made by Khoo Salma and Ravinder during the last Penang State Election in 2023 were unfounded.
"They have both retracted their statements and expressed their sincere regrets over the matter. As a result, I have agreed to withdraw my suit against them.
"May this serve as a lesson to always verify your facts before making unfounded allegations and irresponsible claims," he said.
In a joint statement issued by the trio, it said that on Aug
5, 2023, a recording was uploaded by Khoo Salma, also known as Khoo Su Nin on her Xsocial media account of an interaction between herself and Ravinder at a civil protest against the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.
The recording was also shared on Ravinder's Facebook account on Aug 22, 2023.
The content referenced Zairil's role as a member of the Penang government and alleged that a family connection influenced the appointment of the project delivery partner for the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.
All parties acknowledge that these allegations were unfounded.
As such, Ravinder and Khoo Salma expressed their sincere regrets for any embarrassment, inconvenience, or reputational harm caused to Zairil as a result of the recording, as well as for any misunderstanding that may have arisen from it.
In light of this, all parties agreed that resolving the matter amicably was in the best interest of everyone involved.
Khoo Salma and Ravinder have since removed the recording from their respective social media accounts and have undertaken not to republish it.
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