Aminuddin Zulkepli said the court papers were filed this afternoon via e-filing.

“All I can reveal is that my client has raised the defence of fair comment and qualified privilege,” he told FMT.

Aminuddin said the defence of qualified privilege was relied on as Rahim’s conduct was of public interest.

“We are not at liberty to reveal the entire defence until the sealed copy has been extended to Rahim’s lawyers,” he said.

Aminuddin said a case management was held today before Kuala Lumpur High Court deputy registrar Mohd Rehan Mohd Arif while the next on April 19 would be before Justice John Louis O’Hara.

Last month, Rahim filed a RM1.5 million defamation suit against Mat Sabu stating that the disparaging remarks were calculated to lower his esteem among the public.

Rahim, a former Umno Youth chief who is now Risda chairman, said the allegation was untrue as he was not prosecuted for such an offence.

However, he acknowledged police conducted investigations but the attorney-general then had announced he was not pursuing the matter due to insufficient evidence.

Mohamed is said to have made the defamatory statement before a crowd at the Penang Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) branch office on Northam Road on July 1 last year.

Mat Sabu had made the speech in protest at the MACC’s arrest of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for alleged corruption.

Rahim, 66, said the statement was malicious and intended to put him in public scandal, odium and contempt.

He said the statement, in its ordinary meaning or by innuendo, meant he was a man of low morals and had raped a Malay girl.

He said it also meant there was an improper investigation and he was above the law.

Rahim said Mat Sabu’s speech was widely circulated in the social media like YouTube and WhatsApp.