Najib withdraws libel suit against Ling
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has withdrawn his suit against former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik over a "libellous article" about the scandal-ridden sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Najib withdrew his suit with cost of RM25,000 and the condition that Ling withdraws his counter claim.
"Former prime minister (Datuk Seri) Najib (Abdul Razak) has decided to withdraw his case against my client. Withdrawal terms say that he has to pay RM25,000 in cost, and has no right to refile the suit," Ling's lawyer Ranjit Singh told reporters outside the courtroom after meeting in the chambers of Judge Darryl Goon today.
Ling has also agreed to withdraw his counter suit and has no right to refile his suit.
Counsel Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, who acted for Najib, said that given the new political landscape he had advised his client to withdraw this case.
"I advised my client, given the new political landscape there is more pressing matters for him to take care. We should all move on," he said.
In 2015, Najib sued Ling over an article posted which claimed that the then prime minister "had taken people's money" in the RM2.6 billion "donation" issue.
Ling alleged that Najib had misappropriated public funds from 1MDB and placed them in his personal bank accounts to gain wealth and profit, allegations rejected by the prime minister, who said the money was a donation from Saudi Arabia to help Umno's 2013 election campaign.
The article appeared on news portals three years ago.
Najib filed the suit on Oct 27, 2015, alleging that the statement made by the former transport minister in the article was libellous.
In his statement of claim, Najib said Ling had falsely and maliciously made the libellous statement on 1Malaysia Development Berhad at an event held in a university college in Kuala Lumpur and his statements were published in the article dated Oct 3, 2015.
On July 18, 2016, the court allowed an application by Najib to set aside an affidavit by then former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that was filed in support of Ling's application to strike out the suit.