'Kutty' defamation suit: Dr M to testify against Zahid next week

'Kutty' defamation suit: Dr M to testify against Zahid next week

Published: Aug 23, 2024 3:43 PM


Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will take the witness stand next week in his “kutty” defamation suit against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The former Langkawi MP's lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali confirmed this in a media notification this afternoon.

"As the plaintiff, Mahathir will testify as the main witness," the counsel said about the scheduled Kuala Lumpur High Court trial this coming Monday.

Previously, the civil action's trial was postponed a few times due to Mahathir (above, left), 99, being hospitalised at the National Heart Institute (IJN).

On July 20, 2022, Mahathir filed the writ of summons over Zahid's alleged slanderous remark about the plaintiff's ancestry.

The ex-Umno president claimed that the current party president made the statement during a speech at the Kelana Jaya party division meeting on July 30, 2017.


Old identity card

During the speech, then-home minister Zahid was alleged to have dredged up a copy of Mahathir’s old identity card, which purportedly stated his name as “Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty”.

In his statement of defence, Zahid denied that the remark had ever been malicious, slanderous or harmed Mahathir's public reputation.

The Bagan Datuk MP claimed that the name “Mahathir, son of Iskandar Kutty” referred to an individual based on information in an old copy of an identity card.

The defendant claimed he has no control over any video publication regarding his statement on the media platform.

Law firm Shahrul Hamidi and Haziq is representing Zahid.