Najib demands an apology from Ling Liong Sik

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak (pix) has demanded that former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik apologise and retract a defamatory statement against him or face legal action.
In a letter of demand, the law firm of Messrs Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak said it had been instructed to take action and demand a retraction, unequivocal apology and reasonable compensation for the statement published in an article entitled "MCA's Liong Sik Joins Call for Najib's Ouster for allegedly Putting People's Money in His Own Pocket".
The letter said the plain and ordinary meaning of the words published in the article were understood to mean among others that Najib had misappropriated funds belonging to a government investment fund to his personal account, that he had misused the funds for his personal interest, that he had abused his power as a political party and national leader, and that he was not competent to be the leader of the government of Malaysia.
The article was published in Malay Mail Online on Oct 3 and remains accessible to the public at large on the world wide web, said the letter dated Oct 5, 2015, and signed by Najib's lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun.
The firm, acting for Najib in his personal capacity, said it served the letter to Ling's house in Bukit Damansara here on Monday, and his wife acknowledged receipt of the letter at 4pm.
The letter demands that Ling do the following within seven days:

» CEASE and desist from making any further defamatory statement or any such similar statement reffering to our client,
» ISSUE a full and unequivocal written apology and retraction of the defamatory statement, on terms to be approved by us, on our client's behalf,
» PUBLISH the said retraction and apology in a page and size to be approved by our client in two national newspapers of our client's choice,
» PROVIDE our client with a written undertaking that you shall refrain from making/publishing the defamatory statement or any such similar statements, and
» INDEMNIFY our client against all costs and expenses incurred in this matter.
"In the event that we do not receive any satisfactory response to the above, it shall be deemed that you do not dispute our client's assertions as set out in this letter and, notwithstanding that, you intend to continue publication of the defamatory statement.
"In which case, we have our client's strict instruction to commence legal proceedings against you and/or your related agent without any further reference to you, including applying for an injunction to restrain any such further publication," the letter said. – Bernama