KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Datuk Seri Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak has initiated legal proceedings against former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli over allegedly defamatory statements made about him in a podcast.
Farhash's lawyer, Datuk Seri Rajan Navaratnam, said the writ and statement of claim were filed on Oct 23, with the court documents in the process of being served on Rafizi in accordance with the relevant procedures.
In a statement issued on behalf of his client, Rajan said the legal action stemmed from a podcast titled "Dari Umno ke PKR: Zetrix – Kerajaan Bertukar, Kroni Berpindah? | YBM #68", published on Rafizi's YouTube channel on Oct 16.
The podcast, which runs for about three hours and 14 minutes, contains statements concerning Farhash's alleged business interests, corporate relationships, purported links to political figures, and allegations relating to cronyism and government contract procurement.
Rajan said this was the second legal action initiated by Farhash against Rafizi.
"Our client maintains that the repeated publication of defamatory statements concerning him is tainted with malicious intent and has the effect of tarnishing his reputation.
"Therefore, our client considers it necessary to take legal action against Datuk Seri Mohd Rafizi Ramli," he said.
He said Farhash took the allegations seriously and believed such matters should be addressed through the proper legal process and determined based on the evidence and applicable law.
"As solicitors for our client, we do not intend to litigate this matter through the media or engage in public exchanges concerning the merits of the case.
"Ultimately, our client leaves the matter to the court to decide," he said.
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