Former Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has withdrawn his RM10 million suit against PKR’s Pandan MP Mohd Rafizi Ramli in relation to the Boustead Holdings Bhd takeover of Awan Megah Sdn Bhd.
The matter was resolved before Kuala Lumpur High Court Judicial Commissioner Lee Heng Chong, after Rafizi said he is satisfied that Zahid - now the home minister - was not involved in the deal.
Rafizi (right) read out a statement in open court today to retract his claims.
“I am satisfied with the explanation given by Ahmad Zahid that (he) had not abused his powers in any matter or whatsoever and had no role in the decision of Boustead Holdings Bhd to enter into transactions to acquire Astacanggih Sdn Bhd shares and development lands from Awan Megah as stated in my article dated Dec 29 last year,” he said.
“Therefore, I unequivocally and unconditionally withdraw the wrongful statements in my article.”
Ahmad Zahidi, who was present, shook hands with him after the out-of-court settlement was recorded.
Rafizi said later that his action does not amount to an apology to Ahmad Zahid.
Razlan Hadri Zulkifli and Latheefa Koya represented Rafizi, while Sashidaran Menon appeared for Ahmad Zahid.
The suit was filed earlier this year after Rafizi wrote a blog post entitled ‘Dakwaan Deepak ada asas, wang rakyat disalah guna untuk menutup mulut Deepak’ (There is basis to Deepak’s claims, public funds are abused to keep Deepak quiet).
Ahmad Zahid (left) claimed that the defamatory words meant he was incompetent in holding office, had abused his power, that he and the prime minister had committed acts of dishonesty and insincerity, and that he was a dishonest, insincere and irresponsible person.
In particular, he said it accused him of breach of trust and misappropriation of contributions from the army personnel to Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera, which holds a majority stake in Boustead.
Ahmad Zahid sought a retraction and a public apology from Rafizi, a court order to restrain him and to remove the defamatory article, and an injunction barring him or his agents from repeating the defamatory words.
Rafizi’s accusations came after Awan Megah - then owned by Selangor Wanita Umno senator Raja Ropiaah Raja Abdullah - was awarded the National Defence Education Centre project in Putrajaya.
However, the company faced difficulty in securing a land bond of RM72.5 million which was a condition set for the project. This resulted in Raja Ropiaah soliciting the help of carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan.
The project, awarded by the Defence Ministry in 2005, has yet to be completed.
The matter was resolved before Kuala Lumpur High Court Judicial Commissioner Lee Heng Chong, after Rafizi said he is satisfied that Zahid - now the home minister - was not involved in the deal.
Rafizi (right) read out a statement in open court today to retract his claims.“I am satisfied with the explanation given by Ahmad Zahid that (he) had not abused his powers in any matter or whatsoever and had no role in the decision of Boustead Holdings Bhd to enter into transactions to acquire Astacanggih Sdn Bhd shares and development lands from Awan Megah as stated in my article dated Dec 29 last year,” he said.
“Therefore, I unequivocally and unconditionally withdraw the wrongful statements in my article.”
Ahmad Zahidi, who was present, shook hands with him after the out-of-court settlement was recorded.
Rafizi said later that his action does not amount to an apology to Ahmad Zahid.
Razlan Hadri Zulkifli and Latheefa Koya represented Rafizi, while Sashidaran Menon appeared for Ahmad Zahid.
The suit was filed earlier this year after Rafizi wrote a blog post entitled ‘Dakwaan Deepak ada asas, wang rakyat disalah guna untuk menutup mulut Deepak’ (There is basis to Deepak’s claims, public funds are abused to keep Deepak quiet).
Ahmad Zahid (left) claimed that the defamatory words meant he was incompetent in holding office, had abused his power, that he and the prime minister had committed acts of dishonesty and insincerity, and that he was a dishonest, insincere and irresponsible person.In particular, he said it accused him of breach of trust and misappropriation of contributions from the army personnel to Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera, which holds a majority stake in Boustead.
Ahmad Zahid sought a retraction and a public apology from Rafizi, a court order to restrain him and to remove the defamatory article, and an injunction barring him or his agents from repeating the defamatory words.
Rafizi’s accusations came after Awan Megah - then owned by Selangor Wanita Umno senator Raja Ropiaah Raja Abdullah - was awarded the National Defence Education Centre project in Putrajaya.
However, the company faced difficulty in securing a land bond of RM72.5 million which was a condition set for the project. This resulted in Raja Ropiaah soliciting the help of carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan.
The project, awarded by the Defence Ministry in 2005, has yet to be completed.
- malaysiakini.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.