The High Court has granted a stay of enforcement on more than RM37 million in damages awarded to the family of Pastor Raymond Koh over his abduction nine years ago.
Justice Mahazan Mat Taib ruled that there were “special circumstances” justifying the stay, which will remain in force pending the government’s appeal at the Court of Appeal, according to Free Malaysia Today.
She said allowing the payment to proceed at this stage would expose the government to significant financial risk.
The government had applied for the stay, arguing that the compensation involved public funds and that recovering the money would be difficult should its appeal succeed.
Last year, the High Court found that police officers were involved in the abduction of Koh in 2017. As a result, the government was ordered to pay more than RM33 million in damages for the “wrongful acts” committed against him, RM4 million in general and aggravated damages to his wife, Susanna Liew, and RM250,000 in legal costs.
Under the original ruling, the RM33 million awarded for wrongful acts against Koh was to be placed in a trust and could not be released to his family until his whereabouts are determined.
