PETALING JAYA, Oct 31 — An Instagram user who questioned the status of actress Rita Rudaini’s children has come out of hiding to give a public apology, but it may not be enough to save him.
Ahmad Najib Mat Arif, the owner of the handle @ahmadsan81, appeared at the Mutiara Damansara police station to read out his statement in front of reporters yesterday.
With a downcast expression, Ahmad Najib said he “regretted” his actions and quickly left after wrapping up without taking questions from the press.
Various media outlets reported that Rita later told reporters that she was surprised to find out that the person who left the unsavoury comment on her profile was a grown man.
“If the person who left those comments was still in school, I could give them a pass because maybe they’re not mature enough yet.
“But when I looked at (Ahmad Najib’s) Instagram, you can see that he’s a father to two kids and a husband as well. I was shocked.
“I said to him, ‘Your wife is a mother, she has the same status as me. She’s a woman just like me. What motivated you to write something like that to me in the first place?’” she was quoted as saying.
Ahmad Najib previously left a comment on Rita’s Instagram asking if her children had been born out of wedlock.
The 43-year-old actress then lodged a police report against him on October 21 for alleged defamation and gave him 14 days to come forward with a public apology or risk facing a lawsuit.
Also present at the Mutiara Damansara police station was Hafiidz Ahmad Mustaffa, who had left several Facebook comments that also claimed Rita’s children were illegitimate.
The incident has had a negative impact on the lives of Rita’s children, with Rita explaining how a teacher at her son’s school had openly asked him if “that person has been caught yet”.
While Hafiidz and Ahmad Najib have completed their end of the bargain by publicly apologising, mStar wrote that the two may still be slapped with a defamation lawsuit.
“This issue won’t die down as it has gone viral on all social media platforms to the point where Rita’s children are being bombarded with questions about their status.
“Even though (Hafiidz and Ahmad Najib) have already apologised face-to-face to Rita, their impact on her pride, career, and her children forces us to reconsider pursuing action against them,” said Rita’s lawyer, Mohd Syakirin Syazwan.
The Mami Jarum Junior star has two sons from a previous marriage with Johor Darul Ta’zim football player Aidil Zafuan.
The couple eloped to Thailand in 2008 before divorcing in 2013.
