The Bersatu leader’s lawyer, Rafique Rashid Ali, said he also filed an additional affidavit and a bid to stay the enforcement of the judgment pending the court’s decision on his application, which was filed at the High Court here.

Rafique said a file search in the court system showed that the trial took place on Jan 12.

“My client only knew about the trial and judgment from media reports on Jan 29. Farhash gave his evidence and he was not cross-examined,” he told reporters at the court complex here.

Rafique added that the second defendant, content creator Nurpais Ismail, was expected to file a similar notice through his own lawyer in the near future.

On Jan 29, the High Court awarded RM550,000 in damages to Farhash in his defamation suit against Badrul and Nurpais.

Judicial commissioner Arziah Apandi held that statements made during a podcast and circulated on social media had portrayed Farhash as corrupt, dishonest and undeserving of his professional and political standing, exposing him to public hatred, ridicule and contempt.

The court ruled that the publications caused substantial damage to Farhash’s reputation across his personal, political, professional and commercial life, and that both defendants had acted with malice.

Badrul was found to be the originator of the statements, while Nurpais amplified them by publishing and monetising the content despite receiving a notice to remove the video.