Report: Sanusi ready to face Amirudin in court over remarks about Selangor
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — Caretaker Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has indicated he is prepared to go to court to respond to Selangor counterpart Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, a report said.
When asked by news portal FreeMalaysiaToday (FMT) if he will respond to Amirudin's claim of being defamed by him, Sanusi was quoted saying: “I will do so if I have to.”
He was also reported saying that he has not received any legal notice from Amirudin.
Yesterday, Amirudin denied the allegations in Sanusi’s speech in a Perikatan Nasional (PN) event in Kedah and said those remarks were defamatory, adding that he will immediately initiate legal action against Sanusi over the alleged defamation.
Separately, Malaysiakini reported Sanusi as telling the news portal that he would provide evidence “in court” in relation to his claims on the Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) project.
As for Amirudin’s plans to sue him for defamation, Malaysiakini reported Sanusi as saying that he is waiting for Amirudin “to send the documents” and that he too has his “own documents”.
Yesterday, Berjaya Land Berhad also denied all allegations made by Sanusi against it as being false and defamatory, saying that it is lodging a police report and pursuing legal action over the matter.
Berjaya Land also gave a detailed point-by-point clarification in response to Sanusi’s August 2 speech regarding the SMG project at an event called “Jelajah Mega PN Best” or “PN Best Sayangi Kedah Sejahtera” mega tour in Kedah.
Among other things, Berjaya Land clarified that the Selangor government's Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) did not sell a 55 per cent stake in its wholly-owned subsidiary to Berjaya Land, pointing out that MBI's subsidiary Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd and Berjaya Hartanah Berhad had instead formed a joint venture with a 45 and 55 per cent stake respectively in the joint venture firm Landasan Lumayan Berjaya Sdn Bhd (LLBSB).
Berjaya Land said the joint venture firm carries out affordable housing projects to generate money for the SMG project which has successfully cleaned the Klang River.
Responding to claims that the Selangor government would incur RM180 million in losses by entering into that joint venture or for purportedly giving out 600 acres of Selangor state land worth RM10 billion for free, Berjaya Land said the Selangor state government did not incur RM180 million in losses.
Berjaya Land also said it had never obtained and was never given any land for free, but the Selangor state government had only approved several parcels of land totalling 103.6 acres — identified as suitable for development — to be alienated to the joint venture firm LLBSB.
Responding to the purported claim of free land, Berjaya Land instead said that it is the one that is required to raise funds to pay for the RM113.1 million premium for the alienation of land to LLBSB, based on the land's current market value as valued by government valuer Valuation and Property Services Department.
On August 3, PAS party mouthpiece Harakahdaily had reported on Sanusi’s speech at the event in Kedah, and described him as purportedly claiming a scandal involving Amirudin and the Berjaya Group.
Harakahdaily had reported Sanusi as making remarks purportedly on 600 acres of land being given away for free and a purported takeover of 55 per cent of an MBI subsidiary, and of him allegedly saying that the Selangor state government is expected to incur losses of RM180 million.
