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(The Star) - Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin’s criminal defamation cases have been set for mention on Feb 19, pending the outcome of his High Court application to have the cases transferred back to a magistrates court.
Sessions Court judge Mohamad Sekeri Mamat fixed the date after DPP Amir Nasharuddin informed him that the High Court was scheduled to deliver the decision on Raja Petra’s application on Friday. Raja Petra, 59, had on July 17 last year claimed trial at a magistrates court to three counts of criminal defamation over his statutory declaration on the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu. He is alleged to have defamed the Deputy Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor by making a libellous statement in the declaration which he affirmed on June 18 when he knew that it would tarnish her good name. The father of five also faces two similar charges against Koll Norhayati Hassan and her husband Acting Kol Abdul Aziz Buyong. The blogger is said to have committed the offences at High Court (Civil 5) at the Jalan Duta court complex at 10.25am on June 18. On Aug 15, magistrate Nazran Mohd Sham allowed the prosecution’s application to transfer the case to the Sessions Court on grounds of public interest. Raja Petra had on Nov 25 applied to the High Court to have his cases transferred from the Sessions Court back to the magistrates court. On Jan 20, High Court Justice Zainal Azman Ab Aziz had said that Raja Petra would know on Feb 13 whether his cases would be sent back to a lower court or be referred to the Federal Court to determine a constitutional question. Lawyer Amarjit Singh Sidhu appeared for Raja Petra yesterday.
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