Wednesday May 16, 2007
Sarawak CM sues PKR officials, Malaysiakini and Utusan
BY JACK WONG
KUCHING: Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is suing a Malay daily, an online news portal and two Parti Keadilan Rakyat senior officials in Sarawak for making allegations of corrupt practices against him.
Speaker Datuk Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar informed the Sarawak State Assembly when the resumed Wednesday that Taib filed the suits against Utusan Malaysia and Malaysiakini in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Tuesday.
Taib named as defendants MKini Dotcom Sdn Bhd, the publisher of Malaysiakini, and its chief editor Gan Diong Keng, also known as Steven Gan.
The defendants named in the lawsuit against Utusan Malaysia are its proprietor and publisher Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd, Utusan Online and group editor Datuk Mohd Khalid Mohd.
In the Kuching High Court, a suit was filed against PKR state liaison chief Wan Zainal Wan Sanusi and the party’s Stampin branch chairman See Chee How.
Mohd Asfia said the lawsuit against the PKR officials was related to the distribution of leaflets which contained articles from Malaysiakini and Japan Times.
In his personal statement to the assembly on Monday, Taib said legal action would be initiated against Japan Times and other media publications which had published false allegations against him, unless they retract the articles concerned, apologise, pay legal costs and damages.
He said the Japan Times had alleged that "1.1bil yen was paid to Sarawak officials as kickbacks or rebates and lubricant to facilitate the timber trade."
Taib warned others against repeating similar allegations, otherwise "they can have their day in a court of justice to provide factual justification for making such false and malicious allegations or be condemned in damages."
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