KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — The slew of multi-million ringgit suits and counter-suits involving Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli and government-linked companies (GLCs) has been postponed to September 29 following a controversial directive from Putrajaya for all parties to settle out of court.
Umno lawyer Datuk Hafarizam Harun has declined to discuss the issue although the Putrajaya directive by de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz mentioned that the former will represent all the GLCs.
“In meeting (Sibu). Let it fizzle down 1st before we talk ... Sorry. Tqvm,” he replied via text message this morning.
Hafarizam also declined to confirm or deny if his firm was involved in the federal government deal, but pointed out that the name of his firm was misspelled.
“I’m only guided by what is written in The Malaysian Insider,” Hafarizam said later, before adding: “For this, I’ve to remain non-committal. Hope you understand. Let the lawyers acting for the GLCS and Tajuddin Ramli sort it out first. Anything I say now will have an impact”.
The Malaysian Insider reported this morning that Putrajaya has directed all GLCs, including Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and the national debt restructuring company Danaharta, to cease all civil suits against Tajuddin (picture), the former chairman of the national carrier and protégé of Tun Daim Zainuddin.
Nazri, a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) had agreed to settle all outstanding claims against Tajuddin, a poster boy of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s plan to groom Bumiputera entrepreneurs.
“This is to inform you that the government of Malaysia and the Finance Ministry have agreed to settle all civil claims against Tan Sri Datuk Tajuddin Ramli and others to be withdrawn immediately in view of the fact that the government and the Finance Ministry have agreed that the said cases will be settled out of court.
“For your information, the government has given me the mandate to act for the government in this matter,” Nazri said in the letter sighted by The Malaysian Insider.
But the minister made no mention of the terms of settlement with Tajuddin.
The Malaysian Insider understands that some 10 lawyers representing a total of 38 companies and individuals sued by Tajuddin had raised Nazri’s letter and the settlement issue in a closed-door hearing this morning before Federal Court judge Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif, who was appointed managing judge in charge of the commercial division at KL Court last year.
A lawyer acting for one of the GLCs said he learnt about the government directive only yesterday and has yet to receive any formal notification from his client over the matter.
The lawyer, who asked not to be named, said he had not received any instructions to hand over anything to the firm.
Tajuddin was a protégé of Daim, a close friend of Dr Mahathir and an ex-finance minister who was the architect of the now discredited policy of nurturing a class of Malay corporate captains on government largesse.
MORE TO COME
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