Kuala Lumpur: The hearing of the contempt of court proceedings filed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi against former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, originally scheduled for today at the High Court, has been rescheduled to July 21. The proceedings relate to Dr Mahathir’s actions during a press conference on December 5 last year at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, where he displayed several documents, including his identity card, following his testimony in his lawsuit against the UMNO president concerning the ‘kutty’ issue.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Judicial Commissioner Gan Techiong consented to the postponement after Dr Mahathir’s lawyer, Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi, requested more time to assess Ahmad Zahid’s affidavit-in-reply, which they received only yesterday. Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi explained that they needed instructions from Dr Mahathir, who is currently in Langkawi for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA’25), leading to their request for the postponement. The defendant’s counsel, represented by Lawyer Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, did not object to this request.

The court has also set new dates for the trial of the lawsuit, which will be held from July 22 to 24, and a case management session on June 19. Dr Mahathir had completed his testimony on December 5 last year, and his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz, who was the plaintiff’s last witness, finished on December 9.

Dr Mahathir, aged 99, initiated the lawsuit against 72-year-old Ahmad Zahid, claiming that Ahmad Zahid made defamatory statements regarding the ‘kutty’ issue. The statement of claim, filed on July 20, 2022, alleges that Ahmad Zahid made the defamatory comments during the UMNO Division meeting in Kelana Jaya on July 30, 2017. It is further claimed that the statement was republished on Astro Awani’s YouTube channel and various online news portals, accessible to internet users without restrictions.