Why did NST have to pay RM130,000 to Lim Guan Eng?

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NST Ordered to Pay RM130,000 to Lim Guan Eng Following Defamatory Articles

The New Straits Times (NST) was ordered to pay RM130,000 in damages and costs to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng due to publishing defamatory statements in two articles. These articles, published on January 17 and January 19, contained claims that were found to be defamatory towards Lim, leading to a consent judgment at the High Court.
Defamatory Statements Regarding Undersea Tunnel Project

NST published two articles titled “Come clean on payments, Penang urged” and “Penang BN claims CM lied over 4 issues,” which were based on statements by the then Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow. Lim contended that these articles falsely portrayed him as having lied about the undersea tunnel project, misled the public on public expenditure, and abused his position.
Allegations of Professional Misconduct and Lack of Verification

In his defamation suit, Lim claimed that NST failed to uphold the required standards of professionalism. He asserted that the newspaper did not take reasonable steps to verify the truthfulness of the statements made by Teng Chang Yeow. Furthermore, Lim stated that he was not given a reasonable opportunity to reply to the allegations or to have his explanations printed.
Consent Judgment Includes Unconditional Apology

As part of the consent judgment, NST is obligated to publish an unconditional apology in the New Sunday Times. The newspaper must admit that the aforementioned articles contained statements that were defamatory to Lim. This judgment signifies an agreement between both parties to resolve the defamation case, with the financial penalty and public apology forming the core of the resolution.

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Why did NST have to pay RM130,000 to Lim Guan Eng?

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