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Monday, January 03, 2022

I never defamed Dzul, says Najib after ex-minister files suit



I never defamed Dzul, says Najib after ex-minister files suit


Najib Razak says Dzulkefly Ahmad is suing him because he is unhappy with netizens’ comments.


PETALING JAYA: Najib Razak has denied defaming Dzulkefly Ahmad in a Facebook post in 2020 after the former health minister filed a suit against him on Friday.

The statement of claim filed on New Year’s eve involved a post about the Amanah leader and his daughter, Nurul Iman. Dzulkefly had reportedly described the Facebook post as “cynical”.

Najib said he had never accused the Amanah strategy director of nepotism or cronyism in his Facebook post but was just highlighting the appointments made by Pakatan Harapan (PH) when it was in power.

This included Nurul Iman’s appointment as a board member of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM).

“However, it appears that he was insulted by the comments made by netizens on my post. So, in a sense, he wants to sue me because he is unhappy with netizens’ comments,” he told FMT.

Najib said his post was published when PH was leveling “all sorts of accusations” against the then Perikatan Nasional (PN) government over numerous appointments made in government-linked companies.

In the post, he sarcastically quipped that nepotism, cronyism and political appointments only took place in the PN government.

“It never happened with the failed PH government before this, although the wife of the seventh prime minister’s political secretary was appointed AIM chairman, while a minister’s daughter was appointed a member of the board.

“If PH does it, it’s okay. Others should not follow suit,” he had said in his post on Aug 24, 2020.

Najib maintained that his Facebook post could not have defamed Dzulkefly since the Kuala Selangor MP had confirmed his daughter’s appointment in AIM back in 2019.

Dzulkelfy is seeking a formal apology from the former prime minister and RM5 million in damages, as well as a court injunction to refrain him from making further defamatory claims.


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