This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on April 10, 2020

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court fixed April 23 to hear the appeal by National Feedlot Corp Sdn Bhd (NFCorp) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail’s defamation suit against PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli.

The date had been finalised following case management before Federal Court deputy registrar Wan Fatimah Zahara Wan Yussof yesterday. This was related to The Edge Financial Daily by Rafizi’s counsel Razlan Hadri Zulkifli.

However, he said there is a possibility the hearing may not proceed if the movement control order (MCO) is extended.

Rafizi had alleged in a press conference that NFCorp had used the RM250 million government loan as collateral to purchase properties at KL Eco City, which NFCorp and Salleh later decided not to pursue.

It was previously reported at the Court of Appeal that Rafizi had on May 14 last year managed to set aside the RM200,000 damages he was stipulated to pay to Salleh for defamation.

This follows a ruling by a three-member Court of Appeal bench led by Justice Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer that the appeal raised by Rafizi had merits.

Justice Hamid Sultan ordered damages of RM200,000 and cost of RM100,000 paid by Rafizi to Salleh and NFCorp previously be returned to Rafizi. Rafizi was further awarded total costs of RM110,000 after his appeal was allowed.