Zaid, partners to sue Bar president for defamation unless apology tendered

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: Senior lawyer Zaid Ibrahim and two of his partners have demanded “a full and unequivocal retraction and apology” from Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah over a press statement which they claim was “a grave and serious libel” on their conduct in former prime minister Najib Razak’s SRC International criminal appeal.

Zaid, Liew Teck Huat and Rueben Mathiavanam say they will initiate legal action against Cheah if the retraction and apology are not forthcoming by Sept 2.

They allege that the press release on Aug 19, which formed the basis of news reports appearing in the Edge, Malay Mail and The Star on the same day, “falsely and maliciously” contained statements concerning their conduct in Najib’s appeal in the Federal Court.

Issued on Aug 26 via their law firm, Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners, the letter identifies several paragraphs in Cheah’s press statement which the lawyers claim showed a “reckless disregard as to whether the imputations complained of (were) true”.

Those paragraphs, the letter claims, suggest the lawyers had “deliberately acted unprofessionally” “with an improper agenda to abuse the process of the court”, that they resorted to “unscrupulous strategies”, and that their “conduct was designed to pervert the course of justice” and “bring the legal profession into disrepute”.

- More -