PAS information chief and Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar has had his RM150,000 defamation award against New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd and former Berita Harian editor-in-chief Ahmad Rejal Arbee, upheld.

This was over an article - which appeared in Berita Harian in 2000 - titled, ‘Mahfuz ajak wakil BN bertumbuk’ (Mahfuz spurs BN representatives to a fight).

The Federal Court five-member bench, led by Court of Appeal president Justice Md Raus Sharif, today dismissed NSTP's leave (permission) to appeal after finding its case had no merit.

In May last year, the Court of Appeal's three-member bench upheld the 2009 decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, which found the article defamatory.

Mahfuz was represented by counsel Azhana Mohd Khairuddin, while NSTP was represented by Nad Segaram.