Counsel Felix Lim, who is appearing for the former Penang chief minister, said justice Rosilah Yop fixed the date in chambers.

The application had been scheduled for hearing today before Rosilah.

Counsel Kek Boon Wei appeared for Teng.

Teng had filed an application to strike out the suit brought by Lim, on the grounds that a chief minister should not be filing defamation suits.

Neither Teng nor Lim were present in court today.

In April last year, Lim filed the suit, naming Teng, Star Media Group Berhad news editor David Tan and journalist Crystal Chiam Shiying as defendants.

In his statement of claim, Lim alleged that Teng had given permission and/or caused the defamatory and false statements to be written and published in the newspaper and its website through the second, third and fourth defendants in the suit.

He claimed that the third and fourth defendants had maliciously published a defamatory and false statement in an article titled “Pulau Jerejak land sale questioned” dated Nov 16, 2016, which referred to the plaintiff.

Lim is seeking general, exemplary and aggravated damages, interests, costs and other reliefs deemed fit by the court.