How did the court justify the RM150,000 cost order against the plaintiff?

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Court Cited Flawed Translation as Basis for Dismissing Defamation Suit and Awarding Costs

The High Court ordered Lim Guan Eng to pay RM150,000 in costs after dismissing his defamation suit, citing a flawed and incomplete case due to issues with the translation of the purportedly defamatory articles. The judge found that the translator admitted to not translating the articles verbatim from the original printed editions and had used her own words in the English translations tendered to the court, which should have been in Bahasa Malaysia. This deficiency led to the dismissal of the suit against Jason Loo and the two Chinese vernacular newspapers, China Press Berhad and Guang Ming Ribao Sdn Bhd, with each defendant awarded RM50,000 in costs.
Inadequate Translation Rendered Case Incomplete

The primary justification for dismissing Lim Guan Eng's defamation suit stemmed from the inadequacy of the translated articles presented as evidence. The court noted that Lim's witness, a translator, conceded during testimony that the translations provided were not verbatim renditions of the original printed articles. This admission significantly undermined the integrity of the evidence, leading the High Court judge, Datuk Rosilah Yop, to conclude that Lim's case was fundamentally flawed and incomplete.
Failure to Adhere to Translation Requirements

Further compounding the issue of the translation was the failure to meet court requirements. The judge highlighted that the articles should have been translated into Bahasa Malaysia, the national language, rather than English as they were presented to the court. The translator's admission of using her own words in the English translation further demonstrated a disregard for the procedural accuracy expected in legal proceedings, contributing to the court's decision to dismiss the suit.
Significant Cost Award Against Plaintiff

As a consequence of the dismissed suit, Lim Guan Eng was ordered to pay a total of RM150,000 in costs. This substantial sum was apportioned among the defendants, with Jason Loo, China Press Berhad, and Guang Ming Ribao Sdn Bhd each to receive RM50,000. The significant cost order reflects the court's assessment of the case's deficiencies and the resources expended by the defendants in defending against the defamation claims.
Defamation Claims Stemmed from Newspaper Articles and Press Conference

The defamation suit itself originated from articles published by China Press Berhad and Guang Ming Ribao on May 29, 2017, concerning statements made by Jason Loo regarding state government decisions and the sale of Peel Avenue land. Lim Guan Eng, who was the finance minister at the time, also sued Loo over a press conference held on the same issue, which was subsequently published. He sought damages and an injunction to prevent further publication of the disputed content.

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How did the court justify the RM150,000 cost order against the plaintiff?

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