In the notice of appeal filed late last month, the former finance minister said he should have been awarded interest at a rate of 5% per year on the judgment sum from the date of the filing of his suit until the full settlement of the debt.

Lim, the Bagan MP and a former Penang chief minister, filed his lawsuit on March 27, 2023.

His lawyer Guok Ngek Seong said he would ask the Court of Appeal to make the quantum of damages subject to interest should Muhyiddin’s appeal be dismissed.

On Nov 8, Justice Roz Mawar Rozain ordered Muhyiddin to pay Lim RM1.35 million in damages and RM50,000 in costs over three defamatory statements posted by the Bersatu president on Facebook in March last year.

They claimed that Lim had caused the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Muslim charitable organisation and that, in his capacity as finance minister, he had imposed a tax on the foundation and a 45% penalty on tax payable for preceding years.

Muhyiddin was also found to have defamed Lim by claiming that the instructions to cancel the foundation’s tax-exempt status must have come from Lim as LHDN was under his purview at the time.

Roz Mawar said the three statements implied that Lim had abused his power against Muslims.

Muhyiddin is appealing against both the finding of liability and the quantum.

The Court of Appeal has fixed the appeal for case management on Feb 6.

Two days ago, Roz Mawar allowed Muhyiddin’s application to conditionally stay Lim’s execution of the judgment.

The judge ordered Pagoh MP Muhyiddin to pay RM400,000 by Dec 31 and the balance of RM1 million by Jan 27.