Rafizi instructs lawyers to sue Ramanan, says minister’s graft claims crossed defamation line

The Deputy President of the People's Justice Party (PKR) Rafizi Ramli has instructed his lawyers to initiate legal proceedings against Malaysian Minister for Human Resources R Ramanan following allegations of corruption made during a recent media conference. Petaling Jaya: Rafizi Ramli, the leader of the Bersatu coalition, is seeking to sue Ramanan over accusations made by the deputy president of PKR during a recent media conference.

Rafizi claims Ramanan, who is also the Minister of Human Resources, has made multiple allegations against him, including accusations of corruption. After discussing with his legal team, they believe there is strong grounds to initiate a civil suit against Ramanan due to the statements made during the media conference contradicting the legal principles of fitnah in Malaysia.

Therefore, Rafizi has directed his lawyers to commence the legal action against Ramanan based on today's statements. Rafizi stated that video recordings and transcripts of the media conference have been handed over to his lawyers, emphasizing the legal necessity of taking action because Ramanan continues to avoid answering several corruption allegations.

If Ramanan refuses to initiate legal proceedings against Rafizi following yesterday's media conference, Rafizi claims it would open the door for him to challenge Ramanan before a court of law on defamation claims made against him. Previously, Ramanan told reporters at a press conference that he would not sue Rafizi over allegations of being a former Pandan MP's link in a scandal involving a RM9.5 million payment to a middleman, reportedly by a PKR MP.

Ramanan stated Rafizi should report to authorities if he has credible evidence. Additionally, he claimed that a lawsuit would only burden the public if Rafizi asks for bail money to cover his legal costs. At the press conference, Ramanan reportedly labeled Rafizi as a conman and accused him of diverting attention from other issues as a political tactic.

He also referenced allegations from other parties that Rafizi had received RM500,000 in corruption related to Datasonic, alongside investigations by Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Agency (SPPR) over a government deal with Arm Holdings. This controversy erupted after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim dismissed Rafizi's accusations in the House of Representatives after several MPs raised the issue.

Although Anwar, the PKR president, did not name the specific MP in question, Ramanan previously denied allegations he was the PKR MP in question.