KUCHING: The High Court here has ruled that Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh did not defame the state government on the matter of Petronas' settlement of the state sales tax.

       Judicial Commissioner Christopher Chin found that there was no clear evidence of malice in Wong's press statement on the settlement which he issued on May 9 last year.

       "The impugned words do not defame the plaintiff," he said in his ruling on the state government's defamation suit against Wong on Friday (Dec 10).

       He also dismissed the plaintiff's statement of claim with costs of RM30,000.

       The state government had sued Wong for RM5mil, claiming that Wong had defamed it in his press statement questioning the settlement with Petronas on the state sales tax.

       Chin said Wong's statement was devoid of any malicious, demeaning or derogatory language.

       He also said the statement would have been expected of Wong in his capacity as an elected state assemblyman.

       Wong was represented by counsels George Lo, Jonathan Tay, Clement Wong, Thien Siaw Lien and Yvonne Sia.

       State legal counsel Datuk Seri J.C. Fong and state legal officers Adzrul Adzlan, Oliver Chua and Anisa Fadhillah Mohamed Jamel appeared for the state government.