A TikTok user was ordered to pay RM100,000 (S$30,155) after accusing Rosmah Mansor — wife of ex-Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Najib Razak — of practising black magic and polytheism.
According to Malaysian media site Kosmo, 71-year-old Rosmah filed a lawsuit against 35-year-old Ku Muhammad Hilmie Ku Din in September 2023.
She claimed he made defamatory and untrue statements against her in a video uploaded to his TikTok account in March 2023.
Ku Muhammad Hilmie did not attend the hearing, conducted via Zoom, on Tuesday (8 July).
Additionally, he was absent during the proceedings in May last year, resulting in a default judgment against him.
On top of the RM100,000, the court also imposed RM20,000 (S$6,000) in costs and a 5% annual interest on the sum of damages until the defendant completes payment, reports the South China Morning Post.
Rosmah originally sought RM1 million (S$301,000) in damages, but the court did not approve the claim, citing a lack of solid evidence to support the amount.
Rosmah claimed that Ku Muhammad Hilmie had insinuated she was involved in activities linked to the devil, a shaman, and a practitioner of idolatry — all of which are condemned in Islam.
She said the accusations caused the public to view her negatively and tarnished her reputation as the wife of the ex-PM Najib, who is also a philanthropist.
Rosmah reportedly stated in her affidavit of support:
As a result of the slander that was uploaded, I experienced emotional distress and depression and lost confidence in appearing in public because I was worried about being questioned by the public and my acquaintances.
Source: Malay Mail
Ex-PM Najib was convicted for his involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and is still facing a trial involving the US$4.5 billion (S$5.7 billion) allegedly embezzled from the fund.
Rosmah has also been found guilty of corruption over an RM 1.25 billion (S$377 million) solar energy project for Sarawak rural schools and is currently appealing the verdict.
Also read: Najib Gets 12 Years’ Jail After Court Found Him Guilty Of 7 1MDB-Related Charges
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Featured image adapted from The Edge Malaysia.