DATO' SERI MUHAMMAD SANUSI BIN MD NOR v DATUK SERI SAIFUDDIN NASUTION BIN ISMAIL

ka-23cy-1-08-2023 High Court (Mahkamah Tinggi) 23 August 2025 • KA-23CY-1-08/2023 • 72 min read
34 cases cited (3 SG, 31 foreign)

Catchwords

Defamation — political speech — public figure — whether statements made during campaign are defamatory — whether statements refer to plaintiff — whether statements published — whether statements lower plaintiff’s reputation — use of term “pencuri” — criminal innuendo — governance vs criminal liability — defence of justification — defence of fair comment — whether statements based on false facts — role of Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) — compound letter validity — Dewan Bahasa definition — impact of media dissemination — Federal Constitution — Auditor-General Report — MARRIS fund mismanagement — rare earth elements (REE) controversy — application of Raub Australian Gold Mining v Hue Shieh Lee — application of Seema Elizabeth Isoy v Tan Sri David Chiu Tat-Cheong — Defamation Act 1957 — section 8 — whether defence of justification negated by malice

Practice Areas

Defamation

Judges (1)

John Lee Kien How @ Mohammad Johan Lee Delivered

Parties (2)

Dato' Seri Muhammad Sanusi bin Md Nor Plaintiff Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail Defendant

Case Significance

DATO' SERI MUHAMMAD SANUSI BIN MD NOR v DATUK SERI SAIFUDDIN NASUTION BIN ISMAIL is a High Court (Mahkamah Tinggi) decision dated August 23, 2025 (citation: ka-23cy-1-08-2023). The case was decided by John Lee Kien How @ Mohammad Johan Lee.

What was the outcome of DATO' SERI MUHAMMAD SANUSI BIN MD NOR v DATUK SERI SAIFUDDIN NASUTION BIN ISMAIL?

DATO' SERI MUHAMMAD SANUSI BIN MD NOR v DATUK SERI SAIFUDDIN NASUTION BIN ISMAIL is a High Court decision dated August 23, 2025. The case was heard by John Lee Kien How @ Mohammad Johan Lee. See the full judgment for details.

Statutes Cited

Defamation Act 1957
s 8
Federal Constitution
National Land Code (Cap 828)
s 426(1)

Cases Cited (34)

SG (1)
[2006] SGHC 220
SLR (2)
[1992] 1 SLR 772 [2007] 1 SLR 675
UK (5)
[1944] AC 116 [1968] 1 WLR 607 [1975] AC 135 [1993] 1 All ER 1011 [1998] QB 459
MY (26)
[1973] 2 MLJ 56 [1984] 1 MLJ 97 [1985] 1 MLJ 334 [1988] 2 MLJ 173 [1990] 1 MLJ 390 [1995] 2 MLJ 493 [1996] 1 MLJ 393 [1999] 1 CLJ 461 [1999] 1 MLJ 371 [2000] 3 MLJ 223 [2014] 8 MLJ 370 [2015] 6 MLJ 187 [2017] 5 MLJ 413 [2017] 9 MLJ 622 [2018] 3 MLJ 726 [2019] 3 MLJ 720 [2019] 4 MLJ 259 [2021] 2 MLJ 514 [2021] 4 CLJ 155 [2022] 3 MLJ 758 [2022] MLJU 762 [2023] 11 MLJ 234 [2023] 6 CLJ 51 [2024] 3 MLJ 735 [2024] 4 MLJ 260 [2024] MLJU 2904

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Malaysia Courts portal.

Read on eJudgment

Source: eJudgment (ka-23cy-1-08-2023)