Najib sues Liong Sik for defamation

(Malay Mail Online) – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has filed a defamation lawsuit against former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.

Yesterday, Dr Ling reportedly expressed surprise at why Najib was “taking so long” to take legal action against him although he said he had no issues waiting as he is a “patient man”.

On October 12, Najib’s legal team said that Dr Ling had officially responded to their letter of demand sent on October 5, refusing to apologise and saying he stood by his remarks about the prime minister purportedly made on October 3.

Malay Mail Online understands that the suit was filed on October 27 at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Earlier today, lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun said his client Najib is currently tied up with the ongoing Parliament meeting and hopes to get an appointment within these two days to get instructions on whether a lawsuit should be filed against Dr Ling.

On October 5, Najib demanded that Dr Ling apologise and retract remarks reported in the press that claimed the prime minister “has taken people’s money and put it in his own personal accounts.”

The former transport minister said in a press statement on October 7 that he would not apologise over alleged remarks suggesting that the prime minister had misappropriated public funds, telling Najib instead that he accepted the Umno president’s “challenge” should a suit be initiated.

Najib has been linked to ongoing corruption investigations on 1Malaysia Development Berhad after US-based Wall Street Journal reported in July some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) was funnelled through several entities linked to the state-owned firm into the prime minister’s personal bank accounts, two months before the tumultuous May 5, 2013 general elections.

But Najib has maintained that he has not taken any public funds for personal use.