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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today issued a legal letter to Umno supreme council member Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi, demanding that the latter apologise and pay RM10 million as compensation for allegedly defaming him through a Facebook post last week.
In the letter of demand issued by Muhyiddin’s law firm Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership and sighted by Malay Mail, the prime minister also demanded that Puad remove a February 9 posting titled “Kuarantin Pun Ada Dua Darjat” from his Facebook page “DrPuad Zarkashi”.
The other demands listed in the legal letter were for Puad to agree to provide an unequivocal public apology to be published immediately and prominently on his Facebook page and for all news portals and social media that had also published the allegedly defamatory Facebook post to also publish the apology, and to provide written undertakings to stop and not repeat the publishing of similar or identical statements to those in the Facebook post.
Muhyiddin’s lawyers also demanded that Puad “agree to pay compensation to our client a sum of RM10 million”.
In the letter, Muhyiddin’s lawyers said that they had instructions to proceed with legal action against Puad to seek court orders such as an injunction and compensation, if Puad fails to comply with the demands within seven days from the letter’s February 16 date.
In the same letter, Muhyiddin’s lawyers also highlighted to Puad that his statements in the Facebook post amounted to the crime of “criminal defamation” under the Penal Code, which is punishable by jail time, or a fine, or both.
Malay Mail understands that Muhyiddin’s law firm served Puad the letter of demand via email and by hand today.
MORE TO COME