The suit arose from alleged defamatory statements Chow made on his Facebook page, which Ramasamy claimed had severely tarnished his reputation.
In his statement of claim, the deputy chief minister, who served from 2008 to 2023, claimed Chow’s Facebook post on Oct 3, 2023 contained false accusations regarding the former’s involvement in the approval of a deal between Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and Umech Land Sdn Bhd.
Chow’s post suggested that due diligence was carried out and approvals were granted by a committee, including Ramasamy, for the joint venture project with Umech Land, Ramasamy’s court filing read.
Ramasamy refuted the claim, saying no due diligence was conducted by the committee in question and that he had not approved the said project.
He claimed the meeting referenced in Chow’s post was actually chaired by Chow himself and involved Umech Construction Sdn Bhd, not Umech Land.
The Batu Kawan land deal involving a 226ha plot, initially sold through a directly negotiated tender, became controversial due to claims that it was sold below the market value.
PDC initially sold the land to Umech Land for RM646 million.
Following the controversy and a change in Umech Land’s majority ownership, PDC cancelled the joint venture agreement and subsequently opened the sale of the land through an open tender.
In his suit, Ramasamy claimed that Chow’s allegedly defamatory remarks implied his involvement in corrupt practices, damaging his standing as a respected politician and former academic.
The suit demands general, aggravated and exemplary damages, along with a 5% annual interest on the damages from the date of assessment until full payment.
Ramasamy also sought a mandatory injunction for Chow to retract the statements and publish an unconditional public apology in several major newspapers and on Facebook.
He also asked the court for a prohibitory injunction, preventing Chow from repeating the alleged defamatory statements, and costs.
Chow has yet to file his defence. However, in a letter dated Nov 29 last year, his legal representatives denied all liability and refused to comply with the demands outlined in Ramasamy’s letter of demand.
The case will come up for case management on Aug 6, according to Ramasamy’s lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind.
FMT has reached out to the chief minister’s office for comment.