The High Court today fixed March 23, 2017, to decide on an application by former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik to strike out a suit filed against him by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Justice Nor Bee Ariffin set the date during case management in chambers, Ling's counsel Villie Nethi said. Najib's counsel was Nor Emelia Mohd Iszeham.

Ling filed the application on Feb 15 to strike out Najib's suit on the grounds that the suit was an abuse of the court process and that it did not state a reasonable reason.

Najib filed the suit against Ling on Oct 27, 2015, alleging that the former transport minister had made libellous remarks against him in an article carried on a news portal.

In his statement of claim, Najib claimed that Ling had falsely and maliciously made the libellous statement at an event at a university college in Kuala Lumpur and it was carried in an article on the news portal on Oct 3, 2015.

On July 18 this year, the court allowed an application by Najib to set aside the affidavit of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that was filed in support of Ling's appliction to strike out the suit.

- Bernama