219. who is Harris now?

 I think Dr Chong had lodged several Police Reports on similar matters over a decade and more and did he use the protection as a whistle blower under the new act ?  Joshua




Harris wins accusation over blue Ics

Published on: Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Kota Kinabalu: Former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh won a defamation suit against politician Dr Chong Eng Leong who had claimed that Harris was involved in the issuance of blue ICs to foreigners in Sabah.
High Court Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru on Tuesday awarded Harris RM100,000 in damages. He also ordered Dr Chong to pay RM50,000 in costs to Harris.
It was the second time that Harris has won RM100,000 damages in a defamation suit. A similar award in 1982 against a Sabah politician when he was the Chief Minister was channeled towards enhancing local journalism standards through the setting up of the Berjaya Foundation.
It was also the second court victory for Harris within 48 hours.
On Monday, High Court judge here, Justice Chew Soo Ho, ruled in his favour in a suit brought against him by a businessman that Harris' handing over of Labuan to the Federal Government in 1984 was unlawful.
Harris was awarded RM15,000 in costs against James Albanus.
Harris had sought RM50 million in damages against Dr Chong for allegedly defaming him in a Daily Express report published on July 17, 2012.
He was seeking an injunction to restrain Dr Chong, whether himself or his servants and/or employee or agents, from printing and publishing further statements and/or similar libel on him in any form. Ravinthran held that Dr Chong had failed in all his defences against the libel claims.
In his ruling, Ravinthran said there were two main defamatory grounds and the first was the ground of qualified privilege.
He said there was duty on the press to receive information but it was left to the public authority to investigate the information and not the press as public interest was involved.
"Therefore plaintiff must be given an opportunity to respond É there was no attempt to communicate before publication and in my opinion I find that this is not reasonable. The defendant was not the press and I find that the qualified privilege had failed," he said.
Ravinthran said the second ground was about the issuance of fraudulent ICs where the court considered the witnesses who had given evidence -the defendant himself (Dr Chong), one Haji Ansari, the late Abdul Mutalib Mohd Daud, Hassnar MP Ebrahim and (Daily Express Chief Reporter) Chris Maskilone but only one witness had given alleged direct evidence on Harris' involvement in the issuance of fraudulent Ics.
"Hassnar had admitted serious wrongdoing on his partÉ however I treat his evidence with caution because his relationship with the plaintiff had gone bad over the years."
Harris was represented by counsel Sonny Durai and Chin Yuen Fong and Dr Chong by counsel Marina Tiu.
Tiu said they would file an appeal against the decision to the Court of Appeal. During the judgment, only Dr Chong was present in court.