KAJANG: PKR Secretary-General Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s intention to sue party vice-president Zuraida Kamaruddin was due to slander she made against him for taking money from a Kelantan charity fund.
Saifuddin revealed that his intention to seek legal action was due to Zuraida’s allegation that he took money from the Kelantan government through the Kelantan’s Tabung Amanah Tok Kenali that he managed between 2004 and 2007.
He said this was his first ever legal suit he initiated since he joined politics at the age of 22, almost 30 years ago.
“I had no other choice as it had come to a level where the accusation was very harsh and rude.
“This is something between Saifuddin and Zuraida, and not between Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs against the Minister of Housing and Local Government,” he told reporters as he referred to himself in the third person.
He was speaking after launching Tesco’s ‘Buy Malaysia Product’ campaign at Tesco Extra here today.
Last year, Zuraida in her speech at Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur during a Shared Prosperity Dinner, which was coincidentally held on the last day of the PKR National Congress, claimed that Saifuddin received “millions of ringgit”.
That allegation was made during his term as Kelantan’s Tabung Amanah Tok Kenali manager, under the then Menteri Besar, the late Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat.
Saifuddin said the claims made by Zuraida were baseless as Kelantan is poor and Nik Aziz himself was known as a modest and honest leader.
“I was appointed by the Menteri Besar of Kelantan. Kelantan is a poor state. If they have millions of ringgit, they could use it to help their people… why would they give millions to Saifuddin?
“I want to put a full stop on this (slander),” he said.
On Jan 18, Zuraida, who is also Ampang member of parliament, was given 14 days to respond to a show-cause letter issued by the party’s disciplinary board on claims of disciplinary misconduct.
The party’s disciplinary board has reportedly begun investigating various reports of misconduct involving senior party members and leaders, including Zuraida who is believed to be related to the incident during and after the 2019 PKR National Congress.
Zuraida and PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali were among the leaders who boycotted the last day of the congress on Dec 8, and instead held a gathering at the Renaissance Hotel to criticise their own party leaders.
Those who were criticised by the Azmin faction, other than Saifuddin, was communications director Fahmi Fadzil and party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s political secretary Farhash Wafa Salvador.
Saifuddin had revealed on Tuesday that he wanted to sue Zuraida in his personal capacity for making slanderous remarks against him.
Yesterday, Zuraida's political secretary Nor Hizwan Ahmad submitted a reply to the party's disciplinary board on a show-cause letter issued to Zuraida, at the party headquarters in Petaling Jaya.