KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has demanded that Petaling Jaya MP Tony Pua Kiam Wee apologise and retract defamatory statements which were uploaded on his Facebook.

Lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, who is representing Najib in his personal capacity, said a letter of demand had been served on Pua at 4.45 pm today.

The defamatory statements uttered and published by Pua on April 6, 2017, were entitled “BN govt abandons all bills to give precedence to PAS’ RUU355 Private Member’s Bill”.

He said the defamatory statements in ordinary meaning were understood to mean among others that his client had committed theft and was involved in corrupt practice.

“Our client’s instructions are that the above defamatory statements and such similar statements amount to a very serious slander by you and have caused tremendous distress and embarrassment.

“Contrary to your defamatory statements, our client is not a tyrannical an oppressive kleptocrat nor does he shun criticism, neither is he a leader involved in corrupt practices nor a leader who steals the people’s monies.

“Your entirely baseless and false allegations are intended to disparage our client’s high political standing, immense goodwill both locally and internationally. In doing so, you are acting with malice prepense,” he said.

The lawyer said his client also demanded that Pua within seven days from today issue a full an unequivocal written apology to be published in two newspapers, to remove the related video clip immediately and to cease and desist from making further defamatory statements or any such similar statements on his client.

He said in the event that the firm did not receive any satisfactory response, he was under strict instructions to commence legal proceedings against Pua. — BERNAMA