Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has filed a defamation suit against Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua Kiam Wee and another person over Pua's remark about 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Najib, 61, filed the suit yesterday at the Civil High Court registry here through Messrs Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak.
The media obtained the writ of summons today.
In the suit, filed in his personal capacity, Najib had named Pua, 42, and Chan Chee Kong, 51, owner of online portal Mediarakyat.net, as the first and second defendants.
Najib's lawyer, Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, told reporters that his law firm would serve the writ of summons on the two defendants today.
In his statement of claim, Najib said last Nov 13, Pua, as the main speaker at a DAP fund-raising dinner, had made what he alleged was a libellous remark about 1MDB.
He said a recording of the speech was uploaded by Chan himself and/or his agents on the Mediarakyat YouTube and Mediarakyat website under what he claimed was a libellous heading.
Najib said the recording was subsequently shared by Pua and/or his agents on his Facebook account and by Chan and/or his agents on the Mediarakyat Facebook account.
He claimed that as of March 2, the YouTube recording was watched 194,979 times while 200,709 users of Facebook followed the recording on Pua's Facebook account and 165,293 more on the Mediarakyat Facebook account.
Najib said based on the fact, a large section of Internet users had watched the recording and heard the defamatory words uttered by Pua.
Najib said the recording of the speech contained words that referred to and related to him and defamed him and the individual known as the 'prime minister' and must have referred specifically to him (Najib).
He claimed that the defamatory words in normal circumstances meant, among other things, that the plaintiff had robbed the people of their money with regard to 1MDB transactions and, as such, the plaintiff was someone who could not be trusted and not qualified to hold public office.
Najib, who is also the Umno president, said the words constituted a very serious defamation and resulted in him (Najib) being brought into public scandal, hatred and humiliation among friends, acquaintances and the public in the country and at the international level as well as caused a tense relationship between the people and the international community and the plaintiff.
He said the publication of the defamatory words had damaged his reputation, which would continue for years because the recording of the speech could be accessed widely and easily throughout the world via the Internet, blogs, forums and websites without any restriction and could be reshared.
Najib claimed that Pua and Chan did not make any effort to contact him to verify the truth of the defamatory words before publication.
Najib said he, through his counsel, sent a notice of claim of defamation to both the defendants on Nov 21 last year but they continued to publish the defamatory words against him.
As such, Najib claimed for general damages, exemplary damages, costs and an injunction to prevent the first and second defendants or their agents from publishing further the defamatory words against him.
Najib also demanded that Pua and Chan publish a written apology in the newspapers and magazines to be identified by him in the form and terminology to be determined by him.
He also demanded that the first defendant remove the recording of the speech from his Facebook account and the second defendant, from the Mediarakyat YouTube, the Mediarakyat website and the Mediarakyat Facebook immediately from the date of judgment.
Bernama
Fri Mar 06 2015
In his statement of claim, Najib said Pua had made a libellous remark about 1MDB at a DAP fund-raising dinner last Nov 13.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Kelayakan akademik bukan isu calon PN - Pas
Kempen PN sempena PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu tidak akan terjejas berikutan isu yang mengaitkan kelayakan akademik calonnya, Khairul Azhari Saut.
Peniaga nasi kukus raih jualan RM14,000 sebulan
Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat (IPR) mampu merubah graf pendapatan bulanan peserta apabila meningkatkan hasil jualan.
Piala Uber: Malaysia tewas kepada Taiwan
Malaysia memulakan kempen Kumpulan B Piala Uber 2024 mereka dengan langkah kiri apabila tewas 1-4 kepada Taiwan, di sini hari ini.
Imigresen tahan dalang warga Indonesia, jual produk kosmetik tanpa kelulusan KKM
Jabatan Imigresen menahan seorang wanita warga Indonesia berusia 50 tahun disyaki menjadi dalang penjualan produk kosmetik dan kecantikan yang tidak mendapat kelulusan KKM.
Sheriff: 9 hari tayangan, kaut RM28 juta!
Filem arahan Syafiq Yusof, Sheriff: Narko Intergriti kini meraih kutipan sebanyak RM28 juta dalam 9 hari tayangan.
Jaheaik sudah panggil artis wanita tular buat persembahan - Exco
Jaheaik sudah panggil artis wanita tular buat persembahan - Exco
KidDin bergabung jawab segala isu Konsert Search 'Gemuruh'
KONSERT Search 'Gemuruh' nampaknya semakin diperkatakan disebabkan beberapa isu yang ditimbulkan sehari dua ini.
Penunjuk perasaan Palestin tempelak wartawan AS
Mereka menuduh wartawan A.S sembunyikan dan berikan gambaran salah mengenai perang di Gaza.
Lawatan ke Riyadh: Blinken melawat Arab Saudi esok
Setiausaha Negara Amerika Syarikat, Antony Blinken akan melawat Arab Saudi pada Isnin untuk bertemu dengan rakan serantau dan membincangkan usaha mencapai gencatan senjata di Gaza dan pembebasan tebusan Israel.
Iraq lulus akta penjara maksimum 15 tahun
Parlimen Iraq meluluskan undang-undang yang menjenayahkan hubungan sejenis dengan hukuman penjara maksimum 15 tahun pada Sabtu.
Kes 1MDB: Najib percaya Blackstone dikawal Arab Saudi, Raja Abdullah - Saksi
Saksi memberitahu Najib percaya bahawa syarikat Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partners dikawal oleh kerajaan Arab Saudi dan Raja Arab Saudi.
1MDB: Prosiding Najib julung kali dibuat pada Sabtu
Perbicaraan pertama dibuat pada hujung minggu ini berlangsung tepat jam 8.30 pagi, selepas bekas Perdana Menteri itu dibawa pihak berkuasa dengan menaiki kenderaan dari Jabatan Penjara.
'Kementerian Kewangan tiada rekod surat kelulusan Najib bagi 1MDB ambil alih Tanjong Energy, Genting Sanyen' - Saksi
Dalam siasatan SPRM, Kementerian Kewangan mengesahkan tidak mempunyai rekod ke atas kedua-dua surat tersebut.
Najib diberi peluang jelaskan mengenai dokumen 1MDB ketika disoal siasat - Pegawai SPRM
Mahkamah Tinggi diberitahu bahawa Najib diberi peluang untuk menjelaskan secara terperinci mengenai dokumen berkaitan 1MDB, ketika disoal siasat.
Najib tak pernah arah pengurusan 1MDB pindah AS$1.03 bilion kepada syarikat Jho Low - Saksi
Mahkamah Tinggi diberitahu bahawa Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tidak pernah mengarahkan mana-mana individu daripada pengurusan 1MDB untuk memindahkan AS$1.03 bilion kepada syarikat Jho low.
Tidak penting untuk tanya jika Najib arah AS$700 juta dipindah kepada syarikat Jho Low - Saksi
Saksi itu berkata demikian ketika disoal oleh peguam Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin berhubung transaksi yang dilakukan pada September 2009.
1MDB: Mahkamah akan tentukan sama ada pendakwaan berjaya buktikan kes - Hakim
Muhammad Shafee berhujah bahawa pertuduhan terhadap anak guamnya adalah salah serta bertindih.
1MDB: SPRM ke Riyadh untuk sahkan surat derma RM2.6 bilion - Saksi
Penguasa Kanan SPRM Nur Aida Arifin berkata pihaknya telah pergi ke Istana Riyadh pada 2015 bagi mengadakan pertemuan dengan dua putera Arab Saudi.
1MDB: Najib tak dedah mengenai pertemuan dengan Raja Arab Saudi ketika siasatan - Saksi
Najib tidak memaklumkan kepada SPRM mengenai pertemuan delegasi Malaysia bersama Raja Arab Saudi, Almarhum Raja Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.
1MDB: Muhammad Shafee ditegur hakim kerana bersikap 'keterlaluan'
Ketua peguam bela yang mewakili Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ditegur apabila dilihat menyerang kredibiliti pengawai penyiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) ketika perbicaraan.