High Court judge Abu Bakar Jais also awared RM200,000 in costs to former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) director Ramli Yusof.

The consent judgment against The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, The Star (M) Bhd and Borneo Post was recorded in chambers.

All three defendants are also required to publish an apology, but the other terms of settlement were not disclosed.

NSTP, publisher of New Straits Times and Berita Harian, was ordered to pay RM120,000 in costs, The Star (RM60,000) and Borneo Post (RM20,000).

Lawyer Harvinderjeet Singh represented Ramli while counsel Bhag Singh appeared for the media organisations.

Last month, Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd, the publisher of Utusan Malaysia, settled a similar suit brought by Ramli but the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

In 2007, the mainstream media were said to have vilified Ramli when he investigated the then inspector-general of police Musa Hassan for allegedly colluding with an Ah Long syndicate said to be connected to Tengku Goh @ Goh Cheng Poh.

Ramli was suspended and the investigations closed.

Ramli had alleged that he was a victim of a conspiracy by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Musa, former attorney-general Gani Patail, the late prosecutor Kevin Morais and several others.

Ramli sued all of them for conspiracy. He sued the publications for defamation.
As part of that case, Musa, Gani and the MACC also arrested and framed a charge against Ramli’s lawyer, Rosli Dahlan.

Rosli sued all of them which ended with their publishing public apologies and paying compensation.

The MACC read out its apology to Rosli in open court. All paid undisclosed compensations.

The NSTP and MACC were separately found liable by High Court Judge Sharifah Khadijah Badjenid for conspiracy and defamation against Rosli and were ordered to pay damages.

Musa had also apologised to Ramli in open court in a separate defamation suit.

Ramli’s RM110 million suit against the governent for conspiracy is scheduled to be tried next year.