Soh's settlement offer rebuffed

A settlement offer made by top national marathoner Soh Rui Yong in court yesterday was rejected by former Singapore Athletics (SA) executive director Malik Aljunied.

Soh is alleging that Malik had in August 2019 made defamatory comments in a Facebook post and remarks on the same post's thread.

Soh's counsel Gerard Quek made the offer before the start of the fifth day of the trial, saying that he was given instructions to put it on record "to resolve the matter".

The offer was not immediately explicitly accepted nor rejected, but Malik's counsel Mahmood Gaznavi told The Straits Times at the end of the day that his client would not take up the offer.

Quek said yesterday that Soh felt "satisfied with the concessions made by (Malik) on the stand on Friday" and "feels in his own way vindicated".

On Friday, Malik had explained in court that he took down the alleged defamatory post after about 15 hours because it was not "in good taste".

Later, Malik also agreed with Quek's assertion he had made the post "impulsively" and "without carefully considering meanings of each of the words posted".

Quek yesterday also said that Soh, 30, felt it was "not necessary or good for the sport" to have the legal matter continue further, and also did not wish to put some prominent sports figures - listed as witnesses for the defendant whom "he has much respect for" - "through the unpleasant experience of cross-examination".

Added Quek: "The offer... should not be taken as admission that his case is weak whatsoever; in fact, my client believes his claim has been strengthened."

The offer, which expired at the end of yesterday, would have seen Soh discontinue his suit within five days of Malik accepting, with both parties agreeing no order for costs.

Yesterday, Gaznavi then called on former SA president Tang Weng Fei to the stand as a witness for the defendant.

Tang, an oil trader, said he had observed that Malik, 54, "always had a soft spot for Mr Soh" and often "fought for him" in SA management committee meetings.

Tang cited how Malik pushed for funding support for Soh, as well as for counselling instead of disciplinary proceedings following the athlete's alleged breaches of SA's code of conduct.

These included matters like wearing non-approved attire at an overseas competition in Chinese Taipei and giving unauthorised media interviews, which Tang maintained were breaches.

These issues were brought up in court along with other more prominent ones involving Soh, such as his criticisms of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) over not being able to promote personal sponsors during a "blackout" period at the 2017 SEA Games, and its requirement that he donate 20 per cent of his $10,000 cash reward for his gold medal back to SA.

Other sports figures like SNOC secretary-general Chris Chan, Flash Athletics Club president Edmond Pereira and former national swimmer and SA vice-president Ang Peng Siong are also lined up as witnesses for the defendant over the next two days of the trial, the dates of which will be confirmed by the end of the month.

The dispute between Soh and Malik began following the comments posted by the latter shortly after Soh was controversially left out of the 2019 SEA Games contingent by SNOC selectors, citing "numerous instances" where his conduct fell short of its standards.