Clare: Hadi, Najib colluding to exploit London case proceedings

PETALING JAYA: Clare Rewcastle Brown claims PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has colluded with Najib Razak or his agents to exploit the London court proceedings as part of their propaganda effort to exonerate the prime minister.

In her counter-claim in response to Hadi’s defamation suit, the whistleblower website editor said they want to discredit her and Sarawak Report in its justified campaign that Najib be removed from office and be brought to justice for his alleged corrupt and criminal conduct.

In court papers sighted by FMT, Clare said Hadi, whether by himself or his agents, had been party to the publication of a series of articles, viciously or racially abusing, defaming and harassing her on the Third Force and Malaysia Today websites.

In a counter-claim filed on Oct 11, she said these publications amounted to harassment and she wanted the court to award her damages for severe stress, anxiety and distress caused to her and an injunction restraining Hadi from further harassment.

Lawyer SN Nair had said Clare would stand to obtain costs and damages if the court dismissed Hadi’s suit and allowed the counter-claim.

Hadi filed his suit at the London High Court in April following an article she wrote on Aug 6 last year.

Sarawak Report ran an eight-paragraph article in which it claimed RM90 million was “reckoned” to have entered the accounts of top PAS leaders to woo them into supporting Umno and Barisan Nasional.

Clare, in her defence to Hadi’s suit, said the PAS leader was not named or identified as being the object on any statement in the article.

She said allowing Hadi’s cause of action as the person referred to in the article would be disproportionate, unnecessary and unjustified interference and inhibition of her and the public right to freedom of expression, especially in the discussion of political matters.

Clare said Section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 required that it be proved that the publication of the statement complained of had caused serious harm to Hadi’s reputation.

She denies that such harm had been caused to Hadi.

Clare said Hadi filed the claim not to protect his image but for the illegitimate purpose of protecting the reputation and advancing the political purpose of PAS and his political ally, Najib.

She said the statements in the article were a matter of public interest, namely on corrupt and criminal history and activity, conduct and influence of the government, the political and judicial process in Malaysia and whether Najib was fit to hold public office.

Clare said she would prove that Hadi knowingly allowed PAS to be compromised and corrupted and the democratic process to be undermined by senior party personnel.

She said these officials accepted and personally benefited from enormous secret payments from Najib to undermine and withdraw the party from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

She said Hadi ‘s claim for damages and any injunction should also be dismissed. -FMT