Promising take-off for 'save lawyer fund'

The "Save Dominique Ng Fund", launched in Kuching yesterday, has raised close to RM30,000.

The fund was launched to save the Sarawak PKR state assemblyperson for Padungan from being declared a bankrupt, the result of a civil suit against him by Sarawak DAP vice-chairman Chong Siew Chiang.

Judicial Commissioner Ravinthran Paramaguru had, on Jan 26, found Ng liable and ordered him to pay RM100,000 to Chong, who is also a senior lawyer in Sarawak.

Ng was said to have uttered defamatory words against Chong during a campaign in support of the PKR candidate for Stampin, See Chee How, on Feb 22, 2008.

The court also ordered United Borneo Press Sdn Bhd, the publisher of Chinese language newspaper United Daily News, to pay RM50,000.

The paper carried part of Ng's  (right) speech said to be defamatory.

Deadline set for settling damages

The sum of RM100,000 awarded by the court was for compensatory and aggravated damages against Ng and RM50,000 against United Borneo Press as compensatory damages.

Chong, through his legal firm, had issued a letter of demand for Ng, who is also the Sarawak PKR advisor, to settle the amount within seven days, from Feb 28 this year, failing which he would commence bankruptcy proceedings against the assemblyperson.

Unable to come up with the RM100,000 at short notice, Ng launched a campaign asking the public, especially PKR supporters and sympathisers, to help him raise the amount.

Ng, speaking to reporters yesterday, said he had, through his legal counsel, filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal against the High Court decision.

He said in a case like this, stay of execution was seldom granted.

 Girding for end to political career

"Hence, I have to come up with RM100,000, which will be returned to me if I am successful in the appeal," Ng said.

He said if he is declared a bankrupt, that would be end of his political career.

"I am also not allowed to do my legal practice," he added. Ng said he had called on the PKR leadership for help.

"I believe they had a meeting last night (Wednesday night), and that my case was raised at that meeting," he said.

He believed that the PKR leaders would not abandon him.

"I was speaking as the Sarawak PKR chairman at that time and I was campaigning for our candidate in Stampin," he said.

Chong yesterday also filed notice of taxation against Ng for the bill of costs amounting to RM147,497 with the court.

The amount was said to have been for the expenses during the trial, including the legal fees, witnesses' allowances and filing fee.

In his judgment, Justice Paramaguru had concluded that the plaintiff had proved that Ng had uttered defamatory remarks against him at the election rally.

He said Ng had failed to prove the defence of justification on a balance of probabilities, and had also failed to prove that the remarks constituted fair comment or were spoken on an occasion of qualified privilege.

He had also found that Chong had proved express malice on Ng's part in publishing the impugned words.