KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Corporation Bhd founder and advisor Tan Sri Vincent Tan has filed a defamation suit against caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor involving the Selangor Maritime Gate (SMG) project.
The tycoon and his company Berjaya Land Bhd (BLB) filed the suit at the High Court on Tuesday and named the outspoken Pas lawmaker as the sole defendant.
During the Jelajah Mega PN Best / PN Best Sayangi Kedah Sejahtera mega tour on Aug 2, Sanusi had allegedly delivered a speech that was deemed politically motivated and slanderous.
Sanusi was alleged to have made false and baseless allegations against Tan and Berjaya Land, implicating them in the SMG project.
The plaintiffs, in its statement of claim, contended that a special purpose vehicle company was formed through a joint venture between Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) subsidiary, Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLBSB) and Berjaya Hartanah Bhd, to, amongst others, clean and develop the Klang River.
"LLBSB employs property development, with a specific focus on affordable housing projects, as a means to generate revenue to fund and sustain these vital river-cleaning initiatives under the SMG Project.
"The SMG Project initiative was recognised by the Green World Awards 2023 for its efforts in cleaning the Klang River and was deemed successful in improving the water quality of the river from class 4 to class 2.
"The plaintiffs never obtained or were never awarded any of the 600 acres of land valued at RM10 billion.
"In actual fact, only several parcels of land totaling 103.6 acres were identified as feasible for development and granted approval for alienation to the LLBSB by the state government with specific conditions," claimed the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs claim that the defamatory statements would harm and result in financial losses for 67,367 shareholders of Berjaya Corporation Bhd and 7,053 shareholders of BLB.
The plaintiffs also contended that the impugned statements have the potential to damage their reputation in the business world, both domestically and internationally.
"The slanderous and false statements also undermine public trust, not only in the Plaintiffs but also in the institutions and governmental bodies associated with the SMG Project, creating a damaging atmosphere filled with suspicion.
"The slanderous and false statements provoke unnecessary anxiety and concern for Tan and his family, who now must live with the baseless stigma attached to these allegations," claimed the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs are seeking general, compensatory, aggravated and exemplary damages from the defendant.
The plaintiffs are also seeking an injunction to restrain Sanusi from further uttering, repeating, writing, or publishing the impugned statements.