The Kuala Lumpur High Court today ordered English daily New Straits Times to pay RM200,000 to PPP president M Kayveas for defamation.

Judicial Commissioner Siti Khadijah S Hassan Badjenid also ordered the Umno-linked daily to pay RM5,000 in costs.

The judicial commissioner made the order after she found the daily liable for defamation with the publication of an article titled "Kayveas party financial figures don't add up".

Kayveas named New Straits Times and former party member N Shanmuganathan as defendants in the RM10 million suit over the article that party funds were channelled to Kayveas' law firm.

Siti Khadijah had earlier entered judgment against Shanmuganathan and the trial saw Kayveas testifying, without any witness from the defendants.

Based on the law, the judicial commissioner found the article in itself to have, in its natural and ordinary meaning, resulted in the "sting of defamation" on Kayveas.

"Looking at the facts of the case, the plaintiff has managed to prove the words had the imputation to defame him," Siti Khadijah ruled, adding that it was clear from the article that the defamatory words were related to Kayveas as his name was stated five times in the article.

"In this case, the daily failed to attend court proceedings to support its pleadings and hence there is no evidence before the court.

"The witness statement is merely a statement and cannot be accepted in court unless the defendants come and take their oath. Hence, the court finds that the defence failed to raise any doubt to the claim," she said.

Following this, Siti Khadijah said, Kayveas managed to prove his case on a balance of probabilities.

Kayveas was represented by Muralee Menon and V Mugunthan while Nad Segaram and Soo Siew Mei appeared for the New Straits Times.