KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 7): The High Court here has fixed March 29 to hear Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown's application to strike out a criminal defamation charge made against her.

The case will be heard before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan.

The hearing date was fixed by High Court deputy registrar Catherine Nicholas following case management on Friday.

The prosecution was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Noor Haslinda Che Seman while lawyer Leong Xin Ven from Messrs Guok Partnership appeared for Rewcastle Brown.

Lawyer S Manisha from Messrs S Pillay & Mohd Haaziq held a watching brief for the Sultanah Terengganu Tuanku Nur Zahirah. Nur Zahirah had also filed a defamation suit against Brown for her book titled “The Sarawak Report – The Inside Story of the 1MDB Exposé”.

Rewcastle Brown had been charged with criminal defamation at a magistrates court in Kuala Terengganu last September over the publication of the book for which she and the publishers had been sued. A warrant of arrest had also been issued against her.

The charge was levelled against her following a police report filed against her by the Sultanah's aide.

Rewcastle Brown sought to quash the criminal defamation charge as it was done in bad faith, malicious in nature and an abuse of the court process and prosecutorial powers.

In her striking out application, she also claimed that the prosecution should not have charged her as the Sultanah had opted to file the suit against her as a civil remedy in defamation.

She also claimed that a fair and impartial trial cannot be conducted in Kuala Terengganu as potential and unwarranted influence would be exerted by various quarters on the magistrate to ensure a conviction against her.

“The only way there will be no miscarriage of justice is to have the charge transferred and tried in Kuala Lumpur,” she said.