KUALA LUMPUR: A 51-year-old lawyer, who alleged she was sexually harassed by a former director of a well-known Chinese association, was irked that the man had sent her a legal notice demanding she retract a police report against him.
Veronica Wong Pei Huan, who is single and daughter of veteran MCA central committee member Tan Sri Wong Mook Leong, said she was shocked that the notice of demand, which she received from a law firm of former attorney-general Tan Sri Apandi Ali(pix), had also cautioned that she would be sued if she continued making “defamatory and baseless” allegations against its client.
She said her alleged harasser, who is in his late 60s, also wanted her to delete all the Facebook postings from her account on the matter.
“The case is under police investigations and this man who took advantage of a single woman is oppressing a victim with a civil suit demanding I withdraw my police report,” said Wong.
According to Wong, she had met the man, who was a businessman, for the first time at the funeral of a politician’s mother in April where they exchanged business cards after getting acquainted.
She said the man, who at the time was a director of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH), began contacting her soon after, initially enquiring and seeking advice on legal matters.
“I told him I was not familiar with the issues he raised as I specialised in will-writing. Later, he started making indecent proposals and sent me sexually explicit messages including pornographic videos and photos. I told him he is a married man and he should focus his attention on his wife, but he replied that she could not endure his sexual prowess and he needed to vent his lust on other women. I was shocked,” she said.
Wong, who shared with theSun dozens of screenshots of the man’s messages which were in Chinese, said she lodged a police report in June and police investigated the man under Section 509 of the Penal Code for insulting the modesty of a woman.
She said she also went public with her predicament by detailing the case on her Facebook account.
Wong said that after she raised her plight with Wanita MCA and the KLSCAH, the man stepped down as director of the latter.
“He is very well connected and is a member of various Chinese associations. I am also being pressured by several senior male members of the MCA, other political parties and Chinese associations to withdraw my police report and put the case to rest. Perhaps they are afraid their very own sexual overtures on other women will be exposed.
The police were very helpful. They had summoned him for questioning. They took both of our cellphones for forensic investigations. I am also grateful to women’s groups and non-governmental organisations that stepped forward to assist me,” she said.
On Saturday, Wong lodged another police report related to the legal notice she received.
Dang Wangi police chief ACP Noor Dellhan Yahaya said that investigations into the case related to Wong’s first police report is in the final stages.
On the second police report, he said police will correspond with the complainant by mail, which will be sent to her soon.
theSun attempted to contact the former KLSCAH director for comments and the man conversed in Chinese before he handed the call to another man believed to be his friend.
“Sorry, he cannot speak to you as he is not proficient in English or Bahasa Malaysia. We will call you back later,” said the man before hanging up.
