S'wak Report editor pleased article on PAS' RM90m stays despite settlement
Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown said today that she is satisfied with the settlement in PAS' defamation suit, noting that the article over which she was sued remains unaltered and unretracted.
"I want to thank all the people who supported me in standing up to this attempt at legal bullying by PAS.
"I stood my ground and the article remains online and unaltered, despite the attempts to silence and discredit me...
Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown said today that she is satisfied with the settlement in PAS' defamation suit, noting that the article over which she was sued remains unaltered and unretracted.
"I want to thank all the people who supported me in standing up to this attempt at legal bullying by PAS.
"I stood my ground and the article remains online and unaltered, despite the attempts to silence and discredit me before the last election.
"I could not be more satisfied with this outcome, although it would have been good to have seen them all in court," she told Malaysiakini.
Rewcastle-Brown said she regarded the settlement as a "total victory and vindication," but said she cannot reveal its terms, as both parties agreed to keep it confidential.
The Sarawak Report editor, who first broke the story of the 1MDB scandal, claimed in the Aug 6, 2016 article that Najib was wooing PAS ahead of the general election, and that RM90 million had flowed into the accounts of its top leaders.
Hadi then sued Rewcastle-Brown for libel in London on April 21, 2017 over the allegation that his party received the RM90 million to ensure the party's support for BN and Umno.
Read more: Hadi to settle Sarawak Report suit out of court
With the article still intact, it appears to not have been part of the settlement.
Hadi's political secretary Syahir Sulaiman earlier today said he had consented to undisclosed terms of the settlement with Rewcastle-Brown.
"It is informed that Hadi has made a decision to finalise an out-of-court settlement through a consent order dated Feb 1 at the London High Court of Justice, Queen’s Bench Division," he said in a statement today.
Syahir added that Hadi also consented to withdraw his claims against Rewcastle-Brown, as the defendant was said to have similarly withdrawn her counterclaims.
No order was made as to costs.
