Their lawyer, Ivanpal Singh Grewal, said it was best that the case be heard by judge Akhtar Tahir as proceedings are already at an advanced stage.

“All pre-trial directions have been complied with,” Ivanpal told FMT after a case management before Akhtar today.

The lawyer said he informed the judge of MonSpace (M) Sdn Bhd and Lai’s request for the judge to continue to hear the matter.

Last week, Lim’s lawyer, Guok Ngek Seong, proposed that the suit be transferred to the sessions court as the lower court has jurisdiction to hear the suit and award up to RM1 million in damages.

Akhtar has now fixed the trial for three days on Sept 1, 2 and 9 and informed the parties that there will be no further postponements.

The suit was originally fixed for trial last week but was adjourned to enable the plaintiffs to consider whether to have the suit transferred to the sessions court.

In the suit filed in June 2019, Lai said Lim had claimed that she was running an illegal business and had cheated Chinese investors. The MP’s statements, published in the English and Chinese media, had implied that she was a dishonest person, she said.

She said Lim had made the statements in May 2017 and November 2018 when he took a group of individuals, purportedly MonSpace’s investors, to her office and subsequently lodged police reports against her.

She claimed that Lim’s statements had pressured the authorities, including the police, Bank Negara Malaysia and the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry, to take action against her.

Lai is seeking an unspecified amount in damages from Lim.

More than 70 Chinese nationals had lodged police reports at the time on a “misleading” investment scheme run by MonSpace.