KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has not backed down from pursuing legal action against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, even though the prime minister has provided a written response via his lawyer.
In a brief statement, Dr Mahathir’s lawyer Rafique Rashid said Anwar’s lawyer Thomas Philip only refuted the allegations and that his client would provide his response in court instead.
“After the requested two-week period ended yesterday, (Philip) has responded to the demand letter from Dr Mahathir,” he said in a statement.
“The response letter merely denied all claims, without any explanation or evidence, and with the reason that (Anwar) will answer the claims in court.
“Based on the reply from Anwar’s lawyer, Dr Mahathir has instructed our law firm to proceed with legal action against Anwar.”
Rafique added that the media and public will be informed as soon as the documents are filed.
On March 27, Dr Mahathir demanded Anwar to retract his claims that the former had amassed wealth during his prime ministership to enrich his family, threatening to pursue legal action should Anwar fail to respond within seven days.
Subsequently, on April 4, Rafique said he received a notice from Philip requesting an extension to April 17, which was permitted by Dr Mahathir.
Meanwhile, Anwar said he would provide evidence demanded by Dr Mahathir to back his claims.
“I don’t want to fight. But if he is asking for proof, I will give proof. No problem,” he said at a dialogue session with UiTM students in Shah Alam on April 7.
He added that while there was no doubt that some good came out of Dr Mahathir’s administration previously, the elder statesman also left much damage in his trail. – The Vibes, April 18, 2023
