KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 23 -- Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor won his defamation suit against Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail over allegations of rare earth element (REE) theft and financial mismanagement.

The Alor Setar High Court ordered Saifuddin to pay RM600,000 in damages and RM70,000 in legal costs after ruling that his remarks were defamatory, according to New Straits Times.

The suit stemmed from two statements made by Saifuddin during the Kedah state election campaign in July 2023.

Sanusi contended that the remarks, which alleged misuse of Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) allocations and hinted at his involvement in misconduct related to rare earth elements, harmed his reput...