Bestinet, Founder Sue Media Outlets for RM1 Billion Over Defamation

Bestinet Sdn Bhd and its founder, Aminul Islam Abdul Nor, have filed a RM1 billion defamation suit against 10 media outlets and individuals, including Malaysiakini. The action stems from Bloomberg’s January 23 report titled “Everyone gets a cut, and migrant workers pay the price”, which alleged misconduct in the handling of migrant worker systems.

In their statement of claim, Bestinet and Aminul argued the reports falsely portrayed them as being involved in human trafficking, money laundering, corruption, and denying government access to the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS). They described the allegations as baseless, malicious, and fabricated.

Bestinet sues

Bloomberg’s New York and Kuala Lumpur offices were named as the first and second defendants, with Malaysiakini listed fifth. Other defendants include The Edge, MalaysiaNow, Harapan Daily operators, former MACC chief Latheefa Koya, former economy minister Rafizi Ramli, and content creator Iswardy Morni.

The plaintiffs are seeking RM500 million in damages from each Bloomberg entity and RM5 million from each of the other eight defendants.

Business News