Lawyer Ong Kang Nyong, who appeared with Kathleen Samantha George, for the three plaintiffs, said judicial commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain fixed the case to be heard from Dec 3 to 6, 10 and 11 during case management today.

He said another case management would be held on Aug 14 for the parties to finalise statements on agreed facts and issues to be tried.

Lawyers Hou Jack S’ng and Tiffany Low appeared for the defendants.

Zaid Ibrahim, Liew Teck Huat and Rueben Mathiavaranam had on Sept 30 filed a suit against the Bar and its president, Karen Cheah, for allegedly defaming them over their conduct in the appeal.

They claim that a media statement, which Cheah issued on Aug 19, titled “Abuse of Process Brings Disrepute to Our Justice System”, implied that they had “undermined the justice system through unscrupulous strategies”.

Cheah’s statement was subsequently published by several media organisations on the same day, they said.

“The said words in the (Bar’s) press release were calculated to disparage, besmirch and damn the plaintiffs in the way of their professional capacities as advocates and solicitors having conduct of the Federal Court appeal and applications,” they said.

Najib had on July 25 appointed Zaid’s law firm to replace Shafee & Co as solicitors in his final SRC International criminal appeal before the Federal Court, with Hisyam Teh Poh Teik replacing Shafee Abdullah as lead counsel.

After the apex court turned down several requests for additional time to prepare for the appeal, the former prime minister discharged the firm as solicitors as well as Zaid, Liew and Rueben as co-counsels on Aug 18.

Zaid and his partners had previously sent a letter of demand to Cheah over her media statement and demanded that she tender “a full and unequivocal retraction and apology”.

On Aug 23, a five-member bench unanimously affirmed Najib’s conviction on all seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering in respect of SRC funds totalling RM42 million.