KEPONG MP Lim Lip Eng can now sleep soundly after having successfully raised RM2.25 mil through a crowdfunding campaign to pay damages in a defamation lawsuit.
The funds raised will be audited by a licensed auditor to ensure transparency and accountability.
“We have reached RM2.25 mil. Please do not donate any further,” he posted on his Facebook page. “I cannot thank everyone enough for the kindness and he given through these difficult times. I am humbled by your generosity.”
Added the DAP lawmaker: “The journey in pursuit of justice is long and a tough one. Justice may be late but it will always be here to stay.”
For the record, Lim lost the defamation case filed by businesswoman Datuk Seri Jessy Lai Chai Suang and her company MonSpace (M) Sdn Bhd on March 16.
Lai had accused Lim of tarnishing her reputation and that she is running an illegal business as well as having cheated Chinese investors.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court found that Lim had gone beyond his duty as an MP when making accusations about Lai and her company.
Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir ordered Lim to pay RM1 mil in damages to the company and another RM500,000 as general damages to Lai.
The quantum of damages awarded is believed to be the highest in a defamation case over the last 20 years.
Lim launched the crowdfunding campaign the next day, stating that if he was unable to pay the damages, he risked being declared bankrupt and disqualified as an MP.
“(In) 2017, I stood up and spoke out. 2023, I was defeated in High Court. Undeterred. Appeal filed. Fight we must,” he noted in an earlier FB post. – March 20, 2023
