Ex-Sabah CM Yong ordered to pay RM1mil to Harris for defamation

KOTA KINABALU: The High Court here on Wednesday ordered former Sabah chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee to pay RM1mil in damages to another ex-chief minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh for defamation.

HIgh Court judge Justice Abdul Rahman Sebli in delivering his two-page judgement held that Harris had proven his case against Yong and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

Harris had filed a RM50mil suit in 2010 against Yong and the SAPP, whom he named as the first and second defendants respectively, for allegedly insinuating that he (Harris) was involved in causing the Sabah Air Nomad plane crash that killed his predecessor Tun Fuad Stephens and 10 others on June 6, 1976.

Justice Abdul Rahman said that Yong “crossed the line” when he insinuated that Harris had “blood on his hand”. He, however, added there was nothing wrong with Yong calling for a re-investigation of the air crash.

He also found that the use of the words “crime” and “assassination” by Yong were defamatory to Harris, and had provoked speculation that Harris knew in advance that something sinister was going to happen to the aircraft and that he had left Fuad to die so that he could take over as the chief minister of Sabah.

“In their written submissions, the defendants (Yong and SAPP) continued to attack the character and credibility of the plaintiff (Harris) as a witness and contended that the plaintiff, being a retired politician, is not even worth a penny. This is demeaning to the plaintiff.

“I feel that the damages of RM1mil is fair and reasonable,” he said.

Yong later told reporters outside the court that he would appeal the decision.