KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 17 ― Businessman Datuk Habibul Rahman Kadir Shah sent a legal letter to Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman demanding a public apology for allegedly making statements tarnishing his reputation during a news conference nearly five years ago.

Habibul accused Syed Saddiq of making several slanderous remarks against him when the latter was relating a bribery attempt during a press conference at the Seri Pacific Hotel here on October 2, 2017.

A letter of demand dated today issued by law firm Jahaberdeen & Co representing Habibul demanded Syed Saddiq issue a public apology within nine days in a newspaper or media decided by the client.

Other demands include a call not to repeat the alleged offending statements against Habibul and to offer suitable damages within seven days from the date of the letter.

Malay Mail has contacted Habibul for further comments as well as Syed Saddiq for his response to the letter of demand.

In the October 2, 2017 news conference, Syed Saddiq claimed that an individual he named only as "H” and whom he claimed to be attached to the Prime Minister's Office at that time, had offered him RM5 million in cash to resign as a member of Parti Pejuang Bersatu Malaysia and further his studies at Oxford University.

Syed Saddiq also claimed that "H” was the mastermind of several attempts to "buy” his support, and threats against him and his family.

He also challenged "H” in that news conference to step up and publicly deny his claims.

The prime minister at that time was Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The PM’s press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad denied that any such person as identified by Syed Saddiq worked in the Prime Minister's Office at that time.