Najib threatens to sue Ling for defamation
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has issued a letter of demand to former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik to retract a defamatory statement over the handling of state investment vehicle 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Legal firm Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak sent the letter yesterday to Dr Ling, asking him to offer an unreserved apology and compensation within seven days, failing which legal action would be instituted. On Saturday, news portal Malaysiakini quoted Dr Ling as saying said that he agreed with his former boss Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Najib had “taken people's money and put it in his own personal accounts”. "I agree with (Dr) Mahathir. Because he (Najib) has taken people's money and put it in his own personal accounts," Ling was quoted as saying at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur. Dr Ling, a former transport minister between 1986 and 2001, who spoke at the Tunku Abdul Rahman University College was asked whether he agreed with Dr Mahathir’s calls for Najib’s resignation. Najib has been implicated in corruption investigations into 1MDB after US-based The Wall Street Journal reported in July some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) was transferred into his personal bank accounts two months before the 2013 general election. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission announced that the money was a donation from a Middle Eastern individual. The prime minister has also denied using public money, including from 1MDB, for personal benefit, though questions surround the source and purpose of the funds. Dr Mahathir demanded Najib step down from office, while sacked Umno leader Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan lodged reports in Hong Kong, Switzerland and the United Kingdom for alleged money laundering. – October 6, 2015.
