Pua’s lawyer, Gobind Singh told reporters this after meeting Justice Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab in chambers.
“Until then, the interim injunction will be extended until July 4,” Gobind said.
Najib’s lawyer Hafarizam Harun, confirmed the details of the chambers hearing today.
This is the third time the ex-parte injunction was extended to Pua on Najib’s second lawsuit against him over his Facebook live video on the tabling of the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or Act 355.
High Court judge Justice Abu Bakar Jais, who was first assigned to hear Najib’s second suit, had on April 21, granted an interim injunction against the Petaling Jaya Utara MP to remove the video.
Justice Abu Bakar was later transferred to Shah Alam High Court.
The second judge, Judicial Commissioner Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, then recused himself from hearing the lawsuit, citing “the public perception of the independence of judiciary should not be shaken in any way”.
JC Wan Ahmad Farid was a former deputy home minister and senator before he was appointed as a judicial commissioner in December 2015.
In the statement of claim dated April 21, the prime minister said the 2-minute-21-second recording was uploaded on the DAP leader’s Facebook page “Tony Pua”, entitled “BN abandons all Bills to give precedence to PAS RUU355 Private Member’s Bill”.
Najib said the live video was directed at him and it was done with malice and bad intention to defame him (Najib).
He said Pua had slandered him by virtue of the public office he held.
Najib is seeking for the defendant (Pua) to publish an unconditional written apology in at least two newspapers.
He also wants Pua to remove the live video from his Facebook page immediately.
Incidentally, checks by FMT on Pua’s Facebook page found the video had already been removed.
Pua, who is also DAP national publicity chief, was slapped with another defamation suit by Najib on March 2015 over his speech made at a DAP fund-raising dinner in November 2014 on 1MDB.
Also named in the lawsuit was MediaRakyat portal owner Chan Chee Kong.
Earlier this year, Pua had sued Najib, in his capacity as a taxpayer, for alleged abused of the latter’s public office pertaining to 1MDB funds.
Pua demanded a declaration that Najib had committed the tort of misfeasance in public office and had abused his office to personally profit from the funds.
He is seeking an unspecified amount of damages and relief as deemed fit by the court.