Rafizi’s lawyer Navpreet Singh said judge Lailatul Zuraida Harron granted the application during a case management today.

The court ruled that the documents sought by Rafizi were relevant to the issues for determination in a defamation case filed by Shahril against Rafizi, Navpreet said.

Rafizi, who is the economy minister, filed an application last year seeking to secure documents from Sapura Energy on Shahril’s remuneration and allowances from 2009 to 2021.

He said that the documents are necessary for his defence.

Shahril filed the lawsuit in May 2022 claiming that Rafizi had made libellous statements concerning his remuneration.

Shahril had taken offence to a claim by Rafizi that Sapura Energy’s majority shareholders, led by Shahril, had taken out a total of RM1.33 billion, made up of RM1.1 billion in salaries and the remainder in other payments and dividends.

Rafizi had claimed that this was triple the sum of RM440 million which the company paid out to the remaining shareholders in dividends.

Shahril has denied the allegations, with his lawyers stating that it was publicly known that his total remuneration between 2013 and 2021 was RM486.25 million.