Lokman Adam given 24 hours to remove posts on chief syarie judge

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today ordered former Umno Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam to remove all of the defamatory postings on alleged sexual harassment by Chief Syarie Judge Mohd Na’im Mokhtar that were uploaded on his Facebook and YouTube within 24 hours.

Lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader, representing Na’im, when contacted by reporters said judge Rozana Ali Yusoff made the order after allowing the ex-parte injunction application by Na’im in his suit against Lokman during an online proceeding.

“My client obtained an interim order for an injunction to prevent the defendant (Lokman) or his representatives from republishing the transmission in any way whatsoever,” he said, adding that the court set Feb 7 for the inter-parte injunction hearing.

In the defamation suit filed on Jan 17, Na’im had sought an injunction order for the defendant to remove the video and the posting and to prevent the defendant from republishing them.

Na’im, 54, filed the suit in his personal capacity naming Lokman, 49, as the defendant.

He is seeking damages amounting to RM30 million over allegations of sexual harassment against several women, including one with a “Datin” title.

Based on the statement of claim, Na’im, who is also the director-general of the Department of Syariah Judiciary Malaysia, filed the suit in his personal capacity, claiming that the defendant had defamed him by making statements through two live posts on the Facebook page “Lokman Noor Adam Official” on Jan 10 and 13.

He claimed that the defendant also uploaded the live broadcast on his YouTube page on Jan 10 and 14, besides uploading three defamatory posts against him on Facebook on Jan 11 and 13.

He further claimed that the defamatory statements implied that he was a spiritual opportunist, had failed to be a credible leader or set a good example for the community, and tarnished the good image of the Syariah Judiciary Department.

Na’im claimed that the live broadcast and other posts had been spread to third parties, as the defendant’s Facebook and YouTube could be viewed and commented on by the general public.

“The defendant published the statement with the intent that it would be published domestically and internationally through the electronic media as well as print media,” he said.

He said a police report was lodged on Dec 12 last year to deny the Datin’s allegations against him, and that he had also lodged a police report against Lokman over his actions.

He said a notice of claim dated Jan 13 was issued against the defendant to withdraw the defamatory statements and delete the posts on Facebook, besides making a public apology within 24 hours, but that as of today, the defendant had ignored the police report and notice.

He claimed that the defamatory statements had tarnished his reputation, dignity, image and status in the eyes of the public.

Na’im is seeking an injunction for the defendant to delete the videos and the posts as well as to prevent the defendant from republishing them, in addition to an apology from the defendant to be uploaded on social media.

He is also seeking general damages to be assessed by the court, apart from exemplary, aggravated and punitive damages amounting to RM10 million each, with 5% interest per annum calculated from the date of judgment until full settlement, as well as other relief deemed fit by the court.