KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak filed a defamation suit yesterday against DAP publicity chief Tony Pua over the opposition lawmaker’s allegations regarding 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) made in a speech last year.

Datuk Hafarizam Harun, who acted for Najib, was quoted by news portal Malaysiakini as confirming that the suit was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry.

Pua, however, said when contacted by Malay Mail Online that he has yet to receive a copy of the writ.

Also named as a defendant is Chan Chee Kong, the owner of Mediarakyat.net that had uploaded a video of Pua's speech about the state investment fund on its YouTube channel and webpage, according to The Star Online.

Najib is seeking an apology, a retraction of the statement and compensation in his suit against Pua.

It is understood that the suit is a follow-up to an earlier letter of demand Najib issued to Pua, in which the prime minister claimed that the Petaling Jaya Utara MP had implied that the former was an incompetent, corrupt and “tyrannical and oppressive autocratic”.

Pua's speech at a party fundraising dinner on November 3 last year was caught on video and uploaded online under the title “Tony Pua: Najib is creating the biggest scandal ever in the history of Malaysia”.