The Edge CEO Ho Kay Tat said he was left perplexed as the portal was only informing investors about alleged stock market manipulation.

“As a media that reports on the stock market and corporate sector extensively, we have a responsibility to highlight important matters to the investing public – including alerting them about how stock prices are being manipulated.

“If the complainant, who is a businessman, feels that we have defamed him, the police and DPP should ask him to file a civil suit against us instead of using public resources,” he said in a statement.

This comes after a former chief editor of The Edge was slapped with two charges of criminal defamation at the Petaling Jaya magistrates’ court this afternoon.

For the first charge, Azam Aris was charged with allegedly defaming Kua Khai Shyuan and DGB Asia Bhd in an article published in The Edge on Sept 21, 2020.

For the other charge, Azam and contributing editor Shanmugam Murugasu, who was not in court, are alleged to have defamed Kua, DGB Asia, Trive Property Group Bhd, Metronic Global Bhd and MNC Wireless Bhd in another article published on April 12 last year.

The duo were charged under Section 500 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum two-year jail sentence or a fine or both.