JUDGMENT

Wan Hamzah SCJ:

The respondent sued the appellant in the High Court for damages for libel. Ajaib Singh J gave judgment for the respondent and awarded damages in the sum of RM30,000. The appellant now appeals to the Supreme Court against that judgment and award. The respondent alleged that the appellant had falsely written and published defamatory words of her and of her in the way of her occupation as a director of the Pusat Pertolongan Berhad (the Pusat) and in relation to her conduct therein, to certain persons in three letters dated 7 September 1981, 1 October 1981, and 2 October 1981 respectively, and in another letter dated 13 October 1981 with a list of proposed resolutions attached to it. She averred that in their natural and ordinary meaning those words meant and were understood to mean that during her term of office with the Pusat she had committed breach of trust and converted to her own use monies belonging to the Pusat and had committed a criminal offence, and in consequence she has seriously been injured in her character, credit and reputation and has been brought into public scandal, odium and contempt. We shall deal with the letters separately one by one and