Khairul Azwan to sue Rafizi for alleged defamation over Mara dealings

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun (pic) is suing PKR vice-president Mohd Rafizi Ramli for defaming him in relation to the Mara’s business and property dealings in Australia.

Khairul Azwan, 39, said Rafizi who is also National Oversight and Whistleblowers executive director, had held a press conference at its office in Sungai Besi on July 6 to distribute slanderous and false statements against him. 

He said he had also held a media conference on July 6 to deny the offending words and demanded apology from him.

Khairul Azwan, who is a businessman and a company director, said that  Rafizi had maliciously published defamatory statements against him.

He said the statements, among others, had questioned his alleged involvement in the purchase and business dealings of 746 Swanston Street property by a company wholly owned by Mara Inc, Thrushcross Land Holdings Limited.

He said the statements had been published in online portals which are accessible to all users worldwide.

In his statement of claim made available to media on Friday, he said that the words had implied that he was a corrupt and acted for his own financial interest.

Among others, he said that the words had meant that he had abused his position as a company director for his own gain.

He said the words had also portrayed that he had misused his party’s position in the business dealings.

In the lawsuit, he said his reputation and dignity had been affected by the publication of the words.

He said the public looked down on him as allegedly involved in a doubtful transaction to gain profits.

He said he had sent a letter of demand dated July 8 through his solicitor to Rafizi asking for an apology, to give an undertaking not to publish similar statements and to propose an amount to compensate the damages to his reputation but he failed to fulfil his claims.

He is seeking for an injunction to stop Rafizi or his representatives from publishing similar defamatory statements against him.

Besides that, he is asking for general damages, aggravated and exemplary damages from him.

Apart from that, he wants an order to compel Rafizi, named as the sole defendant, to publish an apology in main newspapers on his agreed terms.

He filed the claim at the High Court civil registry here through the law firm of Raja Riza & Associates on Thursday.