Deepak sues Najib for defamation
PKR leader Sivarasa and Deepak
The controversial businessman hopes that his action will goad the prime minister to break his silence over the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Anisah Shukry, FMT
Controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan today filed a defamation suit against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in a bid to drag out the truth over the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaaribuu.
Deepak stressed the purpose of the suit was for the prime minister and his wife to publicly disclose their alleged role in Altantura’s murder and P Balasubramaniam’s statutory declaration (SD).
“I am seeking their admission that they were directly involved in instructing me to change Balasubramaniam’s SD. This is the main factor behind my suit,” Deepak told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
“I am prepared to withdraw the suit if the prime minister comes forward by tomorrow to deny or confess his involvement in the SD.”
Otherwise, Deepak said, he would continue with the lawsuit and award any compensation or damages he received to Altantuya’s family.
He said he was hoping to claim RM100 million in damages, but had not included the figure in the statement of claim as per the rules of court.
According to the statement of claim, which was filed at 3pm today by Deepak’s lawyer R Sivarasa, Najib had defamed Deepak by uttering the words “it’s not true. He [Deepak] is not a credible person”.
‘My credibility affected’
“The plaintiff [Deepak] will state that the defendant [Najib] deliberately and with mala fide made the terrible accusation during a question and answer session at the press conference after the defendant chaired the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting on the night of Jan 17, 2013.
“The defendant uttered the defamatory words during the press conference as a response towards the statements made by the defendant since November 2012 which links the defendant and his wife, [Datin Seri] Rosmah Mansor with the creation of the second statutory declaration dated July 4, 2008 by private investigator P Balasubramaniam, in which Balasubramaniam withdrew the paragraphs that implicates the defendant in the first statutory declaration dated July 1, 2008,” the statement reads.
“Najib’s statement has affected my credibility as a businessman, because he is the prime minister of Malaysia,” Deepak said.
