PUTRAJAYA, Nov. 18 -- The Malaysian government will not have to pay RM1.1 million at the moment to the late Dutch model Ivana Smit's family over the police's alleged negligence in investigations on her 2017 death, as it won a stay order at the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal today allowed the government to not pay the RM1.1 million now, as the government is still appealing against the High Court decision which ordered it to make the payment and to restart investigations.

Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who chaired a three-judge panel, delivered the panel's unanimous decision to grant the stay or temporary pause of the order.

"We are therefore satisfied there are special circumstances that warrant a stay. We allow...