00:01The High Court has ordered a preacher to pay a total of 2.5 million ringgit in damages to Kairi Jamaluddin over defamatory statements on the former health minister's vaccination status.
00:13Kairi filed a lawsuit against Rashid Alwi in 2022 for alleging that he had lied about his vaccination status.
00:20Justice Raja Ahmad Mozanuddin Shah Raja Mohsan held that Rashid's remarks against Kairi were false and had tarnished the former minister's reputation.
00:31He said Rashid had blatantly disregarded the court's courtesy by attempting to delay the trial and today's decision through an application to reopen the case.
00:40The hearing had proceeded without Rashid being present, although Kairi's lawyers had notified the preacher of the hearing dates.
00:46Today, the court held that Rashid had taken Kairi's statements on the government's COVID-19 vaccination drive out of context.
00:55The court awarded Kairi 2 million ringgit in general damages, 250,000 ringgit in aggravated damages, and another 250,000 ringgit in exemplary damages.
