The Malaysian Insight

MUKHRIZ Mahathir today filed an application to cite Najib Razak for contempt after the prime minister refused to apologise for alleging that Dr Mahathir Mohamad was seeking to make his son, Mukhriz, prime minister.

Mukhriz’s lawyer, Haniff Khatri Abdulla, told Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim that the application was filed today after the deadline for the apology ended at 1pm yesterday.

“It has been more than 48 hours. The deadline was 1pm yesterday,” Haniff told the court, adding that a letter of demand was sent to the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.

Mukhriz had previously filed a defamation suit against Najib’s press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad for making a similar allegation.

In a statement released last week, Najib had hit out at Dr Mahathir, accusing the Bersatu chairman of stooping to anything to ensure his son became prime minister.

The prime minister had said Dr Mahathir’s actions in trying to get him ousted were motivated by selfish and personal interests.

In court today, Haniff said the statement made by Najib has influenced others such as Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Deputy Transport Minister Ab Aziz Kaprawi to make similar statements.

“We did not receive any response from his office or him (Najib) personally.

“We were then instructed to put in an application before the court, to proceed with contempt proceedings,” said Haniff during the hearing at the High Court today.

Judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim said a separate date will be decided for the contempt application and proceeded with Mukhriz’s suit against Sariffuddin which has been fixed for today and tomorrow.

Mukhriz had filed the suit over four media statements issued by Sariffuddin last year.

Sariffuddin has replied in his defence that he had never defamed Mukhriz but was merely seeking to clarify issues and untruths spread about Najib, adding his statements were based on qualified privilege and without malice. – July 13, 2017.