(NST) - The High Court yesterday heard that Datuk Mustafa Ali received inside information from the state Islamic Religious Department (Jais) alleging that Umno played a role in the raid at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church last year.
Mustafa, who is the Pas secretary-general, however, said he had no documents to support this allegation.
“I received information that there were Jais officers who were Umno members and that they had an agenda. These people called me to give this information but they did not reveal their identities,” he said during the trial in a defamation suit brought against him by Selangor Umno.
“I believed that Umno played a role in the raid but the Jais officers did not tell me in detail how far a role they played.”
He said he also wrote to Jais asking for a meeting but they refused.
Mustafa, who is represented by counsel Asmuni Awi, was named as the first defendant in the RM10 million defamation suit brought by Selangor Umno.
On Sept 14 last year, state Umno liaison secretary Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed, filed the suit against Mustafa, Angkatan Edaran Ent Sdn Bhd, Harakah editor Ahmad Lufti Othman and reporter Khairul Azlam Mohamad.
In his statement of claim, Zin said in an interview with Khairul Azlam, Mustafa had allegedly defamed Umno by implying they had played a role in the raid.
The article was published in the Aug 19-21, 2011 edition of Harakah titled Pas akan dedah bukti, Umno main peranan operasi Jais (Pas will show proof, Umno played a role in Jais’ operation).
When questioned by counsel Datuk Hafarizam Harun, who is representing the plaintiff, Mustafa disagreed that Umno was not involved in the raid.
He said the information he received was not hearsay and that the allegation was not just some random accusation against Umno.
Mustafa also said his statement to Harakah was not to garner sympathy from Pas members regarding the raid and denied that he had defamed Umno.
“Jais’ refusal to meet me to discuss the matter was one of the reasons why I called for the Press conference,” he said.
“Initially, I only called the reporter from Harakah but reporters from other media also turned up at my office,” he said.
Hafarizam: I put it to you that as the secretary-general, you could have stopped the other reporters from attending your Press conference at your office.
Mustafa: I could, but I didn’t want to.
Hafarizan: This was because you knew that your statement would be published by other media as well.
Mustafa: I disagree.
Judicial commissioner Datuk Ahmad Zaki Husin fixed today for submissions.
