Hearing in 2026 for PM Anwar's defamation lawsuit against Pendang MP

Malay Mail
Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defamation lawsuit against Pendang MP Datuk Awang Solahuddin Hashim will be heard in 2026 at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar's lawyer said today.

The hearing dates will be on six days in July 2026 — July 13 to 16 and July 20 to 21.

Anwar's lawyer Datuk Sankara Nair told Malay Mail that the High Court fixed the hearing dates today, after a case management before High Court judge Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh.

Sankara said lawyer Jaden Phoon Wai Ken appeared for Anwar today during the case management, where the High Court directed both sides to complete the pretrial documents by November 30 this year at the latest.

Sankara said the High Court has scheduled November 30 this year for the next case management.

On March 3, Anwar filed a defamation lawsuit against Awang Solahuddin, seeking compensation over the latter's alleged defamatory remarks and an injunction to restrain him from making the same or similar defamatory remarks.

In his lawsuit, Anwar claimed that Awang Solahuddin had made defamatory remarks alluding to him on February 21, 2023 in the lobby of the Dewan Rakyat in the Parliament building, and that these remarks were allegedly published by Awang Solahuddin on the same day through a video on TikTok using the account name @asriasri64chanel.

In the lawsuit, Anwar said a news portal had on the same day reported on the alleged defamatory remarks in two articles titled MP PAS: Sikap pendendam Anwar lebih teruk daripada Mahathir and Why no LCS charges, MP asks 'more vindictive than Mahathir' PM.

Separately, Anwar also has a few other pending defamation lawsuits which he had filed against other politicians.

The High Court in Kuala Terengganu has previously scheduled April 23, 24 and 25 in 2024 to hear Anwar's defamation lawsuit against former Kuala Terengganu MP Datuk Ahmad Amzad Hashim, while the High Court in Kuala Lumpur has previously scheduled nine days in August 2024 to hear Anwar's defamation lawsuit against former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.