A businesswoman is suing the government and former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, claiming she was wrongly penalised for being unvaccinated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Naomi @ Neomi Francis, now 59, from Ranau, filed the civil suit at the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu on June 11 against the Ranau District Council, the Health Ministry, and Khairy, who served as health minister from August 2021 to November 2022.
In her statement of claim, Naomi said she suffered financial loss, reputational damage and psychological trauma after enforcement officers issued her a compound in December 2021, accusing her of operating a business without being vaccinated.
“I was pressured to obtain vaccination solely for the purpose of continuing my business operations,” she said, adding that she experienced “significant mental exhaustion, emotional distress, and trauma”.
The compound issued to Naomi on December 20, 2021, was withdrawn in February 2023 by the Health Ministry, which admitted a procedural error.
In a letter dated Feb 17, 2023, the ministry’s chief of enforcement wrote that the cancellation was due to a technical error in the enforcement, and that the case file had been returned to the Sabah State Health Department for further action.
The Ranau District Council formally retracted the compound a month later, informing Naomi in a letter dated March 8, 2023.
Naomi said the damage had already been done.
Her stall at the first floor of the Ranau Central Market had been closed since September 2021, and she only resumed business in March 2023.
“During this time, I lost income, loyal customers, and the public’s trust in my business,” she said in court filings.
She is seeking specific damages for 18 months of lost income, as well as general and exemplary damages, interest, and legal costs.
Naomi is represented by Messrs Priskila Akwila Advocates, and the court has fixed the hearing for July 14, 2025.
Khairy, now a media personality and co-host of the Keluar Sekejap podcast, is named in his former role as minister overseeing health regulations during the pandemic.
This is believed to be Sabah’s first known civil action relating to Covid-19 enforcement on the grounds of alleged administrative overreach and violation of personal rights. – June 10, 2025
