PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has been cleared in a defamation suit brought by a businessman.

This follows a decision of a three-member panel of Federal Court in Putrajaya yesterday to deny Mohd Shamsul Mat Amin leave to proceed with his appeal to the Federal Court, in an attempt to overturn the decisions of the Court of Appeal and High Court.

The High Court in Kuala Terengganu on Dec 15 last year had dismissed Mohd Shamsul’s civil suit against Hadi, and the Court of Appeal, in May this year, upheld the High Court’s decision.

Court of Appeal President Md Raus Sharif chairing the panel also ordered Mohd Shamsul to pay RM10,000 in legal costs to Hadi.

The other two judges on the panel were Federal Court judges Suriyadi Halim Omar and Abu Samah Nordin.

Mohd Shamsul sued Abdul Hadi alleging that he (Abdul Hadi) had uttered defamatory words during a ceramah (political lecture) at Kampung Tebakang, Marang, on April 22, 2013.

In his statement of claim, he alleged that the speech by Abdul Hadi at the ceramah had affected his dignity and that of his family, as well as his reputation as an election candidate and businessman.

The High Court in dismissing Mohd Shamsul’s RM2 million civil suit against Abdul Hadi held that he (Mohd Shamsul) failed to prove that the words allegedly uttered by Abdul Hadi had defamed him.

Mohd Shamsul contested for PKR in Bukit Besi, Terengganu, in the 13th general election.

Mohd Shamsul was represented by lawyers A Vasudevan and V Saravanan while lawyer Takiyuddin Hassan represented Abdul Hadi.

- Bernama