KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 3): Former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has filed a RM5 million libel suit against former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

This is over Najib's Facebook posting alleging that the Kuala Selangor Member of Parliament (MP) had practised nepotism that saw the appointment of his (Dzulkefly's) daughter Nurul Iman as a board member of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) in 2019.

The defamation suit was filed in the High Court here on Dec 31, 2021 by the firm of Messrs Farida & Company.

The first case management of the matter was held on Thursday (Feb 3).

Dzulkefly in his statement of claim sighted by theedgemarkets.com alleges that Najib defamed him with the allegations on Facebook on Aug 24, 2020, and that this was widely reported by a Malay daily.

This was despite the Kuala Selangor MP having denied the allegations, which were also widely reported by the media.

Despite the denial, the former health minister said the posting made by Najib was still there as of November 2021.

He claimed that he filed the suit after his lawyers sent a notice of demand to Najib in January 2021 but the former premier's legal representative responded in February that same year that there was no wrongdoing in the claim.

Dzulkefly also claimed that Nurul Iman's appointment was made before he became a minister with the Pakatan Harapan government, and that she was reappointed or retained for the post early last year.

“Najib with malice and mala fide libellously made the allegations without verification, resulting in his posting to be shared 970 times by his followers.

“That Facebook post was edited six times after that and this shows that he planned the publication in defaming me,” the former health minister said in his statement of claim.

Najib's Facebook post had garnered 15,000 reactions, with 12,000 likes, followed by 2,400 (haha), 106 (wow), 65 (love), 25 (angry), four (sad) and 11 (care).

Besides this, the posting had resulted in adverse comments by readers of Najib's Facebook page against the Kuala Selangor MP.

The former health minister listed the libellous paragraph that he complained about and claimed it had the meaning that he practised nepotism, cronyism and was involved in political appointments during his tenure in the Cabinet.

In innuendos, Dzulkefly claimed, it meant that he was involved with his daughter's appointment on AIM's board of directors, influenced government officers to appoint her, abused his power and position as a Cabinet minister for personal interests, practised immoral politics and that he was an unethical politician.

The words used, the elected representative said, also meant that nepotism, cronyism and corruption were practised and he was involved in it, that although he had strong religious conviction he practised differently in contradiction to Islam, that he had committed an offence and that he was insincere as a minister.

The publication of the libellous posting, the former health minister alleged, had attacked his reputation, tarnished his image and was politically motivated as the post was made without any verification.

“The post tarnished my image as a politician, a former minister who had a clean record and practised political values that were in line with Islam,” Dzulkefly said in the legal document.

Hence, he is seeking the withdrawal of the posting, an injunction for the former premier or his Facebook administrators to stop the libellous post, and an apology in writing that is published within seven days of the court order.

Besides seeking the RM5 million general damages, he is also seeking aggravated and exemplary damages, interests on the damages along with costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.