The case, filed two years ago, came to an end by way of consent judgment recorded before judicial commissioner John Lee @ Johan Lee in the High Court here today.

Khoo read out an apology to Rahim, who was present in court, and also expressed regret on behalf of the party over the articles.

Khoo had published an article titled “Rahim Thamby Chik is not Bapa Pembangunan Melaka but is father of all scandals and Bersatu should not accept him, says DAP MP” on his Facebook page.

The article was also posted on The Star Online and the DAP website.

Khoo, who was re-elected as the Kota Melaka MP on Nov 19, said he accepted that the allegations in the article about Rahim were baseless and untrue.

“I deeply regret publishing the above article. I further deeply regret that this article has defamed Rahim and caused him and his family to suffer distress,” he said.

Khoo said he has since removed the article and undertaken not to publish any containing these or similar allegations against Rahim.

He repeated a similar apology on behalf of the DAP in court.

According to the consent judgment, Khoo had also undertaken to publish a written apology in major newspapers and on his Facebook page within 14 days.

Khoo and DAP will also pay Rahim RM180,000 in costs jointly or severally.

Rahim, 72, named Khoo, who is the DAP assistant national organising secretary, as first defendant.

He also named the party’s then national chairman, Tan Kok Wai, deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo, and then secretary-general Lim Guan Eng as the other defendants.

They were named in their capacities as the office-bearers of DAP.

In his statement of claim, Rahim alleged that Khoo had on Dec 16, 2018, written and published an article in a Facebook post alleging that he was involved in various scandals.

Rahim, who was the Melaka chief minister between 1982 and 1994, claimed that the defendants had urged Bersatu to reject his membership application.

The post, he claimed, was also uploaded on the DAP website, www.dapmalaysia.org, which is freely accessible by Internet users worldwide.

Rahim claimed that Khoo had on the same day caused the article containing the alleged defamatory words in the post to be published on The Star Online.

He alleged that the defamatory words had meant that he was involved in various scandals, had committed sexual offences, misused his power, was guilty of malpractice, and was corrupt.

He claimed that the allegations and innuendoes were untrue, baseless and maliciously published, and had caused him to be held in public scandal, odium, and contempt by friends, acquaintances and the public both nationally and internationally.

He also claimed that Tan, Gobind and Lim had maliciously libelled him by publishing and causing the publication of the words to the world at large.

He had sought general, aggravated and exemplary damages.

Lawyers Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, Choo Shi Jin and Frida Krishnan represented Rahim, while counsel Ramkarpal Singh and Simranjit appeared for Khoo and DAP.

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