KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 ― Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has instructed his lawyer to file contempt proceedings against Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for defying a court ruling over the Selangor mentri besar’s 2009 corruption case.
The PKR leader had two weeks ago settled his defamation suit against the MACC and its former chief but is now accusing both defendents in the case of breaching the terms of their agreement by refusing to publish their apology, which Ahmad Said had tendered in open court.
“The extreme attitudes of these two Defendents are aimed at continuously insulting me as a victim to defamatory remarks,” Khalid said in a statement today.
“In relation to that, I have no other choice and without hesitation have instruction my lawyer Mr Sankara Nair to initiate contempt proceedings against Datuk Ahmad Said, MACC and the Malaysian Government as well as any other appropriate action in line with the insult by the Defendent,” he added.
He pointed out that Ahmad Hamdan (picture) and the anti-graft body had both been ordered by High Court judge, Datuk Lau Bee Lan, on March 18 to apologise in open court and to publish their apology on the front page of two English-language papers, The New Straits Times and The Star within four days of the order.
While Ahmad Hamdan had made his apology in open court on March 19, the former MACC chief commissioner had yet to publish his apology in the two dailies as ordered by the court despite the four-day deadline having lapsed.
“Even so, Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan, MACC and the Malaysian Government have been acting wildly and irresponsibly by not acquiescing to the order in the four days as instructed.
“The Defendant is delaying and deliberately showing disrespect of the court, in fact he is blatantly insulting the sanctity of this noble court,” Khalid said.
Khalid had filed the defamation suit on April 27, 2009 over Ahmad Said’s remarks on February 20 the same year, which were reported by the media, saying that the MACC had “strong evidence” of Khalid’s misuse of government funds for the maintenance of his personal car and the purchase of 46 sacrificial cows costing RM10,400 for a Muslim celebration in 2008.
The MACC cleared Khalid of the allegations in February 2010 and he was never charged.
On March 19, Ahmad Said read out his apology to Khalid in court: “I, Datuk Seri Panglima Ahmad Said bin Hamdan, sincerely apologise to Tan Sri Khalid bin Ibrahim, over my statement on February 21, 2009, that was published by the media.
“The statement was made in my capacity as MACC chief at the time. It was made in response to a question that was asked of me by media representatives about the progress of MACC’s investigations on Abdul Khalid,” he added.
“I made the statement without any ill-intentions and without any intention to jeopardise the reputation, image and integrity of the plaintiff.”
Ahmad Said declined comment after he had tendered his apology.
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