YB Ghapur settles for RM40,000+RM30,000

The defamation suits brought by Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh against New Straits Times and the Star did not go into trial. A brief appearance in the High Court before Judge Datuk Ian Chin by Ghapur Salleh's counsel Ansari Abdullah and counsels Datuk Simon Shim for NST and Wilson Chang for the Star settled the case.

NST agreed to make a clarification and to pay Ghapur RM40,000 while the Star will be paying him RM30,000. The NST in its article mentioned Ghapur hence the higher payment of damages. The State only referred to him as a former Deputy Chief Minister and Umno divisional leader.

In the suit Ghapur sued the newspapers each for RM10 million damages.

My Say:

I arrived at the High Court 1 about 9.30am only to be told by the NST lawyers that the case was over. Defamation is now cheap. One can ask for RM10 million and will settle for only RM10,000.