This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 18, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Synergy Promenade Sdn Bhd (SPSB), the troubled master developer for the Kuala Lumpur Vertical City (KLVC) project, has filed a RM100 million suit against former deputy minister Datuk Seri Razali Ibrahim over various statements issued by him.

“SPSB states the statements made by Razali had tarnished its business reputation and that the same are completely false and baseless,” SPSB said in a statement yesterday.

“SPSB is seeking an injunction for him not to repeat and/or republish the defamatory statements, damages totalling RM100 million and an apology in terms which is to be approved by SPSB,” the firm added.

SPSB said it had earlier sent a notice of action to Razali, the former Umno lawmaker for Muar, to seek an apology and damages related to his previous statements. However, SPSB said Razali had failed, refused or neglected to respond to the notice.

Razali is the third person to be dragged to court by SPSB over the controversial KLVC project.

On June 5, the company filed a suit to claim RM100 million from former Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad, over his statements that allegedly tarnished its reputation.

On June 20, SPSB filed a RM250 million suit against The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd and one of its reporters at the Malay-language Berita Harian newspaper, Che Wan Badrul Alias, over an article linking it to the KLVC project.

The Shah Alam-based SPSB has been in the spotlight since Dec 21 last year, after Berita Harian reported that Felda was at risk of losing its rights to the 16 parcels of land in the strategic Jalan Semarak, following a dubious land transfer.

After reaching an amicable deal, all of the parcels, valued at over RM200 million, were transferred back to Felda in January this year at no cost.