KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- The High Court here today fixed Nov 4 for case management in a RM500 million defamation suit brought by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat against Bintulu Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

Deputy Registrar Fatimah Rubiah Ali fixed the date in chambers to give Ong time to reply to Tiong's affidavit in relation to an inter-parte injunction application.

Ong was represented by counsel Ronnie Tan Tuan King while counsel Prem Ramachandran appeared for Tiong.

On Aug 28, the MCA president filed the suit over an alleged defamatory statement issued by Tiong, the executive director of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), about giving him (Ong) RM10 million.

The statement was published in the Malaysiakini website on Aug 12.

In his statement of claim, Ong said the statement was untrue and he wanted Tiong to retract it and publish an apology to him (Ong) in all the major newspapers.

He is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages and an injunction to restrain Tiong or his agent from further making any defamatory statement against him regarding the issue.

Ong claimed that the statement was made in bad faith and with malice to prevent a fair and correct investigation into the abuse of funds by the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and Kuala Dimensi's role in the affair.

Kuala Dimensi is the turnkey contractor for the PKFZ project which is also the subject of a probe by the Public Accounts Committee.

Ong said the statement had tarnished his reputation, image, integrity and good name in the eyes of the public.

He said that by a letter dated Aug 13, he demanded that Tiong, chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC), retract the statement and apologise but to date Tiong had refused to do so.