Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim today obtained leave from the High Court to commence committal proceedings against a blogger.

Judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof granted the minister's application for leave for committal proceedings against Amizudin Ahmat in relation to a judgment by the court.  

Counsel Azad Bashir, representing Rais, told the media that Rais filed the application against the blogger for breach of the prohibitory part of the various orders by continuing publishing defamatory article against Rais in his blog.

The order was issued by Justice Zabariah in a defamation suit filed by Rais against Amizudin.

On July 19, Dr Rais won his suit and the blogger was ordered to pay RM300,000 in damages to Rais. Justice Zabariah also ordered Amizudin to pay RM100,000 in costs to Rais.

In her decision, Justice Zabariah held that the allegation was very serious, and that if one was to believe it to be true, it would not only destroy Rais’ reputation nationally and internationally but also affect his personal life and his family.

In January this year, Rais, 69, sued Amizudin, 42, who is also a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth committee member, for defamation over an article posted on the latter’s blog, sharpshooterblogger.blogspot.com, on or about Dec 28 last year.  

In the suit, Rais said the entire words in the Malay language article were malicious and defamatory of him and the words in the article meant and/or were understood to mean that he was guilty of a serious offence of having raped and being capable of murdering his Indonesian maid.  

A woman who worked as a maid for him for eight years was later reported by an Indonesian news portal as denying that she had ever been mistreated or raped by her employer.

- Bernama