PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has ordered a blogger to pay RM600,000 in damages to a law firm after he lost a defamation suit over an article he had posted on the Internet.

The three-man panel comprising Justices Hishamudin Mohd Yunus, Zaharah Ibrahim and Azahar Mohamamed unanimously ruled on May 28 that Yap Chong Yee, an Australian citizen, had committed libel against the law firm of Messrs Lim & Hoh, comprising partners Hoh Fook Yoong and Hoh Foo Fah.

The court ruled that Yap would have to pay Messrs Lim & Hoh RM500,000 in general damages and RM100,000 in aggravated damages.

Messrs Lim & Hoh were also awarded RM40,000 in costs and granted an injunction against the defendant and his agents ordering them to desist from publishing, distributing and disseminating the defamatory remarks.