The Kuala Lumpur High Court has affirmed Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris to be Papagomo and found that he had maliciously defamed Anwar Ibrahim.

Judicial commissioner Rosilah Yop, in making the ruling, also ordered Wan Muhammad Azri to pay a whopping RM800,000 in damages.

"The court also ordered Wan Muhammad Azri to pay RM50,000 in costs," said N Surendran, representing Anwar. Rosilah delivered the judgment in chambers.

This is said to be one of the highest awards for defamation, noted Surendran.

Surendran, who was assisted by Latheefa Koya, said following the decision, they will also file a police report against Wan Muhammad Azri for committing perjury on the witness stand.

“We will take the necessary action and hope the authorities will act on it,” he said, adding that their move is a result of  the testimony of a  blogger at the trial recognising Wan Muhammad Azri as Papagomo.

Surendran (left) - who is also PKR vice-president - said his client has been vindicated by  the judgment, exposing the purported allegations and images as lies.

He also said it serves as a warning to all other pro-Umno bloggers not to concoct lies.

The order on damages also includes an injunction against Wan Muhammad Azri not to repeat the publication. Three witnesses, including Anwar and Wan Muhammad Azri, had testified at the trial.

Anwar had filed a RM100 million defamation suit against Wan Muhammad Azri for putting up lewd images of the opposition leader with another man just before the 13th general election, which he has vehemently refuted.

Before the trial last month, another KL High Court had also found that Wan Muhammad Azri is Papagomo and ordered him to pay RM500,000 in damages following a suit filed by a businessman.

Wan Muhammad Azri, who had been expelled from the police force for corruption and subsequently jailed, also faces contempt proceedings in that matter which are still pending.

‘I will appeal’
    
Wan Muhammad Azri, who was present, continued to deny that he is Papagomo.

"We may be similar in features, but I am not Papagomo. It’s like Anwar in the images that he has denied was him," he said.

“I still regard Anwar (left) as a serial liar and he should repent,” he told reporters outside the court.

Wan Muhammad Azri said he somehow expected this judgment because from the early part of the trial, the judge seemed to be biased as she did not allow his lawyer to quiz the other blogger who testified against him on other issues.

His lawyer Jasbeer Singh Kaura said they will file a stay of execution on Monday and will appeal today's decision.

“There is no mention in today's judgment that my client is Papagomo,” he said in disputing what Surendran had told reporters earlier.

'Clear identification made'

However, Malaysiakini later received a copy of the judgment and in page 19, Rosilah said she had no doubt that Wan Muhammad Azri is indeed Papagomo.

“This follows the first plaintiff's witness and blogger Mohd Fauzi Mohd Azmi had made a clear identification that Wan Muhammad Azri is Papagomo.

“Mohd Fauzi was challenged on this issue but his evidence remains consistent. On the balance of probabilities, the plaintiff (Anwar) has proven that the picture of a man wearing a T-shirt with a Manchester United logo as captured by Mohd Fauzi is the defendant or Papagomo,” she said.

Mohd Fauzi, Rosilah said, is an independent witness with no motive to lie to the court and without any interest in the action.

“From the evidence adduced, I find that the defendant (Wan Muhammad Azri) is the blogger Papagomo and the defendant had published the defamatory statements in the blog as pleaded in the statement of claim,” the judicial commissioner said.