KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — Claiming defamation, Umno’s Datuk Seri Najib Razak today demanded an apology and a retraction from former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas for implicating him in the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in his latest book published this month.
A lawyer from the firm Messrs Shafee Co representing the former prime minister, Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, told Malay Mail that a letter of demand (LOD) was served on Thomas today requesting the apology and retraction by this Friday, failing which a RM10 million defamation suit will be filed.
“It was served about an hour ago. He has acknowledged receipt,” Muhammad Farhan said when contacted this evening, referring to Thomas.
Among the other demands by Najib include having Thomas publish a public apology in local newspapers of their choice and not repeat the contentious statements.
A copy of the LOD sighted by Malay Mail detailed Najib’s contention of Chapter 42 of Thomas’ recently published memoir, My Story: Justice in the Wilderness.
According to Najib, the chapter contained details about the murder of Altantuya, a Mongolian woman, in 2006 that implicated him by alleging that he had interfered in the court process during an appeal by the convicted murderer Azilah Hadri, a former police commando.
The excerpts from the chapter related by Thomas mentioned how the Attorney General’s Chambers had decided not to object to new revelations from Azilah, who is under detention in Australia, that implicated Najib’s alleged involvement from being presented in court as evidence for the officers appeal against his conviction.
The LOD accuses Thomas of making statements which were grossly negligent, reckless, irresponsible, deliberate, and maliciously aimed at lowering Najib’s esteem and reputation in the public eye, potentially exposing him to hatred scorn, odium, contempt, and ridicule.
It also accuses Thomas of portraying Najib as a murderer either by direct influence or innuendo through that particular chapter of his book when read in full, which the LOD states is wholly untrue, false, frivolous, vexatious and devoid of substance nor evidence.
“Your impugned statements are clearly motivated by mala fides and are principally done in your selfish pursuit of seeking cheap publicity fuelled by your ego, sensationalism and profiteering.
“The above said selfish and mala fide motivation by you is crowned by your choice of the title of your book Justice in the Wilderness which by itself is an ‘affront to the judiciary’,” read paragraphs within the LOD.
It also stated that Thomas had through the revelations in his book had made statements which amounted to serious libel against Najib, which caused him to experience ‘considerable distress and embarrassment’ that was compounded by the fact the statements were made by a former AG.
“Further, you had deliberately made this statement in spite knowing that the Federal Court has recently rejected the attempt to review their own decision in relation to the convictions of Inspector Azilah and Corporal Sirul,” it read further.
