JOHOR BARU – Lawyers representing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have sent a letter of demand to Pendang MP Datuk Awang Solahuddin Hashim over his alleged defamatory comments made to the press outside Parliament yesterday.
Anwar’s lawyers also made reference to a Malaysiakini report titled “Why no LCS charges, MP asks ‘more vindictive than Mahathir’ PM” in a letter of demand prepared by law firm Sankara Nair & Partners which was sighted by The Vibes.
Quoting the news article, the letter of demand cited statements made by Awang which accused the prime minister of selective prosecution that was allegedly worse than when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was in power.
The letter also cited Awang’s statements which claimed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) prosecution of former Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who is charged for receiving RM6.9 million in bribes, is the beginning of Anwar’s “games”.
Awang had also said that Mahathir never displayed such behaviour while accusing Anwar, who is Tambun MP, of having a strong desire for revenge.
Awang warned other politicians that without executive posts, they were at risk of being targeted by the MACC.
“Our client strongly emphasises that these defamatory words were made, published and republished due to bad faith and with bad intentions by you towards our client, and they are completely untrue, thus your mala fide intentions were clear,” the letter of demand to Awang reads.
Anwar’s lawyers said that the news articles quoting the Pendang MP have given the impression to the public that the prime minister misuses power, lacks ethics and principles, and is vengeful, among other things.
“Our client has never intervened in any enforcement authorities’ power to investigate and has never practised any selective prosecution such as what you have alleged.
“Our client has never ordered or interfered with the attorney-general’s right to prosecute as you have alleged,” the letter of demand added.
Anwar has demanded that Awang publicly retract his statements in full and issue an apology in publications chosen by the prime minister.
Additionally, Anwar is also demanding damages from Awang and that he sign a declaration to never repeat the allegations again.
“We await YB’s response without any delay. If our client does not receive a satisfactory response in three days of receiving this notice, our orders are to commence legal action against YB,” the letter of demand said. – The Vibes February 22, 2023
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