JUDGMENT

Hishamudin Mohd Yunus JCA:

[1] These two appeals, namely, B-03-(1M)-176-2007 and B-03-177-2007 are related and heard together before us. They originated from the High Court of Shah Alam Civil Suit No. MT1-22-502-2003.

[2] At the High Court the plaintiff's writ action against the defendants was for a claim for damages for an alleged tort of slander. The defendants applied before the Senior Assistant Registrar under O. 18 r. 19(1)(a) of the Rules of the High Court 1980 to strike out the plaintiff's claim as disclosing no reasonable cause of action. Their applications were dismissed with costs.

[3] They appealed to the judge in chambers. But their appeals were dismissed with costs by the learned judicial commissioner.

[4] They now appeal to this court.

[5] We have allowed the appeal with costs. We now give our reasons.

[6] In our judgment, on the facts, we accept the submission of the defendants (the appellants before us) that the plaintiff (the respondent before us) has no cause of action in slander against them.

[7] The plaintiff was the managing director of the first defendant company. The second defendant is the chairman of the board of directors of the first defen