Andy Hall ordered to pay RM500,000 for defaming recruitment director

Migrant rights activist Andy Hall has been ordered by the Johor Bahru High Court to pay a global sum of RM500,000 in damages over two defamation suits filed by a director of a foreign workers’ recruitment firm four years ago.

Judicial commissioner Noradura Hamzah ruled that R Muthusamy, director of Embun Karisma Resources, had proven his case against Hall, who was not present in court to defend himself.

Muthusamy, represented by GK Sritharan and Chai Yi Ng, was the sole witness for the plaintiff in the hearing of the two suits, which were consolidated.

In her oral grounds, Noradura said she awarded damages on the higher side because the allegations of corruption and bribery against Muthusamy were serious.

She also ordered Hall to pay RM100,000 in costs.

The court further restrained Hall from publishing similar defamatory statements and ordered him to apologise to Muthusamy in major print media as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

However, Muthusamy alleged that Hall then made another defamatory statement in an article titled “See you in court: Hall dares libel claimant in Dyson force labour controversy”, published by Focus Malaysia on Feb 17.

In both suits, Muthusamy claimed that the statements in Hall’s email and the Focus Malaysia report were false and baseless.
He said the words used were “sensational, scandalous, offensive and malicious”, portraying him as involved in illegal and criminal activities, damaging his reputation both locally and internationally.