KUALA LUMPUR: Chief Syariah judge Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar has filed a defamation suit against Datuk Lokman Noor Adam.

       The former Umno supreme council member had made several posts on Facebook, alleging Mohd Na’im had sexual harassed several women, including a "Datin".

       Mohd Na’im, 55, named Lokman, 49, as the defendant in the lawsuit through Messrs Akberdin & Co at the High Court on Monday (Jan 17).

       Based on his statement of claim, sighted by The Star, Mohd Na’im filed the lawsuit in his personal capacity and claimed that the defendant had defamed him by making a statement during two Facebook Live sessions on the "Lokman Noor Adam Official" account on Jan 10 and 13.

       The plaintiff claimed that the defendant uploaded the live sessions on his YouTube channel on Jan 10 and 14 and also uploaded three posts against him on Facebook on Jan 11 and 13.

       Mohd Na’im said the defamatory statement had meant to, among others, paint him as a person who manipulated religion, a person who failed to be a credible leader with good morals, and had tarnished the image of the Syariah judiciary department as an institution.

       He claimed the live sessions and posts had been spread to third parties and the defendant’s Facebook and YouTube accounts could be viewed and commented on by the public.

       He further claimed the defendant made the defamatory statements with intention for the same statements to be published locally and internationally through print and electronic media.

       Mohd Na’im said a police report was lodged on Dec 12, 2021, to deny the allegations from the ‘Datin’ against him and he had also lodged a police report against Lokman.

       The plaintiff issued a letter of demand dated Jan 13 against the defendant for the latter to retract his defamatory statement, delete the Facebook posts and to apologise publicly within 24 hours but until today, the defendant had remained silent.

       As a result, the plaintiff claimed the defamatory statements had tarnished his reputation and his image, and demeaned his integrity and status in the eyes of the public.

       He is seeking for a court order for the defendant to take down the video and posts as well as an injunction to restrain the defendant from republishing the posts as well as an apology.

       The plaintiff wants general, exemplary, aggravated and punitive damages, each amounting to RM30mil, with interests and other reliefs deemed fit by the court.

       A check on the court’s e-filing system showed that the case has been fixed for case management on Feb 21 while an injunction application will be heard before High Court judge Justice Rozana Ali Yusoff on Thursday (Jan 20).

       The issue first came to light when a woman lodged a police report against Mohd Na’im in December, 2021.

       It was reported that a 57-year-old woman had claimed that a judge had gone to her house close to midnight in August 2020 to visit her bedridden husband.

       She claimed the judge later asked for permission to use the master bedroom to perform his prayers but remained there for a long time.

       She alleged that she went to the room to check on him and found him lying naked in her bed.

       The woman claimed that the judge left her house at 3am the next morning.