Court dismisses Penang tycoon’s defamation appeal against state chief minister
The Court of Appeal on Wednesday unanimously dismissed Penang tycoon Tan Kok Ping’s defamation appeal against Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow and ordered Tan to pay RM50,000 in costs.
Source: Free Malaysia Today · August 26, 2026 at 5:33 AM · AI-assisted report
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PUTRAJAYA, PENANG, GELUGOR, 26 AUGUST 2026 —
The Court of Appeal on Wednesday unanimously dismissed Penang tycoon Tan Kok Ping’s defamation appeal against Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow and ordered Tan to pay RM50,000 in costs.
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A three-member bench led by Justice Alwi Abdul Wahab said the High Court made no error of fact or law and upheld the defences of justification, fair comment and qualified privilege. “The appellant also failed to prove malice when the statement was made,” Alwi said in the written judgment. Justices Shahnaz Sulaiman and Amarjeet Singh concurred.
Tan, life president of the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce, sued Chow in 2021 over remarks after resigning from the board of the Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged. The home, covering about 9ha in Gelugor, occupies land held by the Silver Jubilee Fund and is chaired by the chief minister.
Chow told Buletin Mutiara the board had not approved an open tender for a planned workers’ hostel, adding that the land belonged to the fund, not Tan.
High Court judge Quay Chew Soon dismissed Tan’s suit in 2023 on the same grounds. The home was established in 1935 under the Penang and Province Wellesley Jubilee Fund Ordinance and later governed by a 1969 Act of Parliament.
K Kirubakaran, Kek Boon Wei and Lee Wen Qian appeared for Tan, while Cheah Eng Soon represented Chow. The Court of Appeal found no grounds to overturn the High Court’s decision, leaving Tan with no avenue for further appeal.