Former Malaysian first lady Rosmah Mansor has won 100,000 ringgit (US$23,600) in damages in a defamation case against a TikTokker who uploaded a video claiming that she had dabbled in black magic.
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The Kuala Lumpur High Court said on Tuesday that Rosmah had proven her claim against 35-year-old Ku Muhammad Hilmie Ku Din.
“This global award … comprises general and aggravated damages,” Justice Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh said during the damages assessment hearing, according to a report by local daily The Star.
In addition, the court also imposed 20,000 ringgit in costs and a 5 per cent annual interest on the sum of damages from the date of its decision until full payment is made.
Ku Hilmie was absent from the hearing, which was conducted online via Zoom. He also did not appear for the proceedings on May 28 last year, prompting the court to enter a judgment in default against him.
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Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, filed the civil suit seeking 1 million ringgit in damages against Ku Hilmie on September 19, 2023, for a video he uploaded on his TikTok account on March 2 that year.
Najib was convicted for his role in Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal in 2020 and still faces the main trial involving US$4.5 billion allegedly embezzled from the sovereign wealth fund.