KUALA LUMPUR: Just seven days after filing a defamation suit against Kedah Perikatan Nasional (PN) head, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is now going after the coalition's chairman today.
Anwar, through his solicitors SN Nair & Partners, filed the suit at High Court, here this morning and named the former eighth prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the defendant.
The suit was filed against Muhyiddin over his statement at PN's grand finale ceramah for the 15th General Election in Kedah, in which the Pagoh member of parliament claimed that Anwar had received RM15 million from the Selangor state government as its economic adviser.
Anwar is seeking compensation for general and exemplary damages, as well as an injunction to restrain the defendant from further disclosing, composing or publishing similar statements against him.
He is also seeking for the defendant to pay five per cent per annum on the judgment sum, from the date of accrual of action until the date of full settlement, costs, as well as other relief deemed fit by the court.
Anwar, in the writ, claimed that Muhyiddin had knowingly and maliciously uttered such defamatory slander and libel to incite the public.
"The defendant (Muhyiddin) also wilfully and maliciously, through the defamatory slander and libel, distorted the truth.
"In uttering the slanderous and libellous words, the defendant clearly and deliberately, with malicious intent ignored the official answer of the former Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim during Selangor State Legislative Assembly in 2012 where he had clearly stated that the plaintiff's (Anwar) salary as Selangor State Economic Advisor is only a symbolic amount of RM1.
"The defendant as a politician, public figure and the eighth prime minister should be more careful in his speech."
Anwar claimed that he had been humiliated and ridiculed by the community, following these statements.
He also claimed that the speeches caused him to suffer from anxiety, mental stress and extreme humiliation and that it severely tainted his good reputation and credentials as a respected Islamic leader in the Islamic world.
Muhyiddin's claims were openly rebutted by Selangor Menteri Besar's political secretary Juwairiya Zulkifli, who said that Anwar was paid a symbolic RM1 per annum during his service.
The claims were then reported by an online news portal on Dec 7.
Anwar, on Dec 7, also sent a letter of demand to Muhyiddin, which gave the latter three days to respond before filing this suit.
The following day (Dec 8), a clip containing Muhyiddin's full-length ceramah was uploaded on a Facebook page, under the name 'Muhyiddin Yassin'.