KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the court here today that Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had lied when addressing Umno members in Kelana Jaya in 2017.
The former Umno president stated that nobody had ever called him "Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty" until Zahid allegedly made the statement during a Kelana Jaya Umno division meeting.
"Since I was born, entered university, and became a doctor, nobody has ever called me Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty.
"During the meeting, Zahid claimed he had a blue MyKad stating the impugned name, which he claimed belonged to me... he was lying.
"I am taking this action to state that the defendant (Zahid) has defamed me.
"He is a liar and a deceiver because that is all the defendant has as a politician," he said when testifying before judicial commissioner Gan Techiong.
He said Zahid clearly knew that his name is "Mahathir bin Mohamad", but still openly lied in front of the public by stating "Mahathir a/l Kutty".
"This is clearly a lie. The defendant has also made baseless accusations that I used Umno and that I misused the party for my personal benefit. But this is clearly not true," he added.
On July 20, 2022, Dr Mahathir filed the lawsuit, naming Zahid, who is also the Umno president and deputy prime minister, as the defendant.
His suit states that the plaintiff genuinely believes that the defendant's reference in the alleged defamatory statement to "that person", "he", and "Mahathir, the son of Iskandar Kutty", explicitly refers to him.