The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today set Dec 28 for National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) director Akmal Nasir to file his defence in Jamil Khir Baharom’s defamation suit against him.

The suit pertained to Akmal Nasir’s allegation that Jamil Khir, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, had misused charity funds from Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (Yapeim) for an overseas trip.

Jamil Khir’s lawyer Adnan Seman told reporters that deputy registrar Hurman Hussain had also ordered the plaintiff to file his reply to Akmal Nasir’s statement of defence on Jan 11.

He said the court set Jan 12 for case management.

On Nov 19, Jamil Khir sued Akmal or Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, alleging that the defendant had on Nov 13 slandered him in a statement to the media and on NOW’s website.

- Bernama