(July 26): CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak today said that he is not defending The Edge but is instead defending the freedom of the press with his criticisms over the Home Ministry's suspension of The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily.

"It's not about defending anyone. It's about freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, that's all," he said after attending a Hari Raya open house hosted by former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"This is the principle of freedom of the media," he added.

Two days ago, Nazir took to Instagram to condemn The Edge's suspension.

He said that if The Edge's coverage on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) saga was inaccurate, legal action should have been pursued instead of a suspension.

"Recent 1MDB coverage seems outstanding but if there were flaws then correct them or take legal recourse," he had said.

The Home Ministry on Friday suspended the publishing permit of The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily for three months beginning July 27.

A letter from the ministry stated that the publications' coverage of 1MDB was "prejudicial or likely to be prejudicial to public order, security or likely to alarm public opinion or is likely to be prejudicial to public and national interest".

Nazir has spoken previously about 1MDB, calling for greater accountability from its top executives and urging Putrajaya to hasten an audit of the debt-ridden firm's 2015 accounts.

IMDB, which is being investigated for alleged graft, is owned by the Finance Ministry, and Najib is finance minister as well as chairman of the firm's advisory board. – The Malaysian Insider