PM can proceed with WSJ suit, lawyer says as WSJ maintains silence
(Malay Mail Online) – A failure by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) to respond to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s request for clarification on a 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) article is tantamount to an admission of guilt by the international business newspaper, a lawyer for the prime minister claimed.
Lawyer Wan Azmir Wan Major of legal firm Hafarizan Wan & Aisha Mubarak representing Najib told Berita Harian that once the deadline for the request expires, the prime minister can proceed with his legal suit against the newspaper.
“If we do not receive any response by today, then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has a few legal options, including suing or issuing a letter of demand to WSJ,” he was quoted saying by the Malay language daily.
“Dow Jones’s refusal to respond in any way or even clarify their allegations can be construed as an admission of guilt,” he added.
He told Berita Harian that the legal team was still waiting on Najib to make a decision on further action.
The lawyer added, however, that it was still too early to predict the prime minister’s next move.
Najib’s legal team had on July 8 sent a letter of clarification to WSJ’s publisher Dow Jones and had given 14 days to state their stand on allegations that Najib had channelled money into his personal accounts from government owned state fund 1MDB.
The legal letter was sent in response to WSJ’s exposés titled ‘Malaysia leader’s accounts probed”, published on July 2, and ‘Scandal in Malaysia’ which cited sources within the team conducting investigations on 1MDB.
It was alleged that Najib had channelled US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) from 1MDB into his own personal accounts via several channels including SRC International, Gandingan Mentari and Ihsan Perdana.
In its reports, WSJ claimed to have copies of the documents being investigated by the Malaysian task force and had made redacted versions available online in what was seen as an attempt to prove their credibility.
Meanwhile, London-based whistleblower site Sarawak Report which made similar claims has been blocked in Malaysia by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
