High Court rejects Bloomberg's bid to dismiss defamation suit by Bestinet

Kuala Lumpur: The High Court has dismissed an application by Bloomberg (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd to strike out a defamation suit brought by Bestinet Sdn Bhd and its founder, Datuk Seri Aminul Islam Abdul Nor. The case centers on a report that linked Bestinet to alleged exploitation of foreign workers.

High Court Judge Roslan Mat Nor ruled that several key issues in Bloomberg (Malaysia)'s pleadings regarding the disputed article, titled “Everyone Gets A Cut, And Migrant Workers Pay The Price,” require further examination during a full trial. He stated these matters cannot be decided summarily based on affidavits alone, as factual issues need to be proven through the trial process.

Among the points to be scrutinized are whether Bloomberg (Malaysia) was truly involved in the article's publication or had control over its main website's operations. The court also ordered Bloomberg (Malaysia) to pay RM5,000 in costs to the plaintiffs.

This decision allows the defamation lawsuit to proceed to a full trial. Bestinet and Aminul Islam filed the suit over the January report concerning the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS), which Bestinet operates for processing foreign worker entries into Malaysia. They claim the report's statements were defamatory, untrue, and severely damaged their reputation.