PETALING JAYA: Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng is raising fund to pay for the RM2 million damages that he lost in a defamation suit defending investors from China.

Lim said despite filing an appeal against the High Court decision and prior to being given a stay of execution, he will still have to settle the RM2 million damages.

Under Article 48 of the Federal Constitution, an elected representative is disqualified if he is sentenced to more than 12 months’ jail or fined more than RM2,000.

For that, Lim is initiating a fund raising so that he will not be disqualified as a member of parliament.

Lim said it is not easy to raise a large sum of money within a short period of time and if he is unable to settle the sum, he would be declared bankrupt besides being disqualified as a member of parliament.

In 2019, MonSpace (M) Sdn Bhd and its director Datuk Seri Jessy Lai Chai Suang filed the defamation suit against Lim for allegedly made multiple statements, including when he and several Chinese nationals visited the company headquarters in Bukit Jalil back on May 23, 2017.

According to the statement of claim, they alleged that Lim’s statement was as if they were running an illegal business and had cheated the Chinese investors and implied Lai to be a dishonest person.

Lai further claimed that the MP’s statements had pressured the authorities including the police, Bank Negara and the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry, to take action against her.

Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir ordered Lim to pay RM1 million in damages to the company and another RM500,000 to Lai.

Besides, the court also ordered Lim to pay RM500,000 in total for aggravated damages to the company and Lai. In addition, Akhtar ordered Lim to pay costs of RM250,000.

On his Facebook, Lim wrote: 2017 I stood up and spoke out. 2023 I was defeated in High Court. Undeterred. Appeal filed. Fight we must.