In legal letter, Annuar Musa denies defaming Kit Siang; ready to defend if sued
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — PAS member Tan Sri Annuar Musa today denied having defamed DAP veteran Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang in a July 6 speech in Bachok, Kelantan, with his lawyers expressing his readiness to defend himself if Lim decides to sue.
In a legal letter issued today by the law firm Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership on Annuar’s behalf, Annuar’s lawyers responded to Lim’s previous July 10 letter which had demanded an apology from him.
“In the premises, all the allegations in your letter are denied.
“We are instructed to inform you that if your client decides to file any legal action, we have instructions to accept service of process and our client will vigorously defend the same,” Annuar’s lawyers wrote in the reply letter.
In the reply letter today, Annuar via his lawyers insisted that his July 6 speech was based on facts and was not defamatory against Lim, also denying that his speech was malicious, untrue or without basis.
Annuar also said both the contents and title of a July 6 article by news portal Malaysiakini does not represent the intention or meaning of his speech, and that he did not publish or cause that article to be published.
When contacted by Malay Mail, a lawyer from the law firm representing Annuar confirmed that the reply letter was served today to Lim’s lawyers.
What Lim had demanded
Previously on July 10, Lim had through his lawyers at Karpal Singh & Company issued a letter of demand to Annuar in relation to the latter’s remarks in the speech as reported by Malaysiakini and as contained in video recordings posted online on Facebook and YouTube on July 6.
The Malaysiakini article was titled “Annuar Musa kaitkan Kit Siang dengan 13 Mei”.
In his July 10 letter of demand, Lim had said Annuar’s Facebook posting had garnered 65,000 views at that time, and claimed that Annuar’s words were defamatory, maliciously made, factually incorrect and without basis.
In his letter of demand, Lim had demanded Annuar retract his alleged defamatory remarks and issue a written unreserved apology to be published in mainstream and online media and to also propose an amount as compensation to be agreed by Lim, with the demand required to be complied within 14 days from the date the letter is received by Annuar.
Lim’s lawyers had said failure by Annuar to comply with the demands within 14 days would result in a defamation lawsuit to be launched against him.
The 67-year-old Annuar, who was formerly an Umno supreme council member, had on June 10 joined PAS.
Lim, 82, is a former DAP parliamentary leader who on March 20, 2022 announced his political retirement where he would not contest in any future parliamentary or state elections.
