KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 — Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has filed a suit against the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and its chief for defamation.

Khalid is suing MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan for his statements that were reported by the media saying that the MACC had evidence that Khalid had abused his powers over the maintenance of his personal car and the purchase of 46 cows for a Muslim celebration.

In a report in the New Straits Times in February, Ahmad Said said: “We have completed investigations and we are satisfied that there are elements of abuse of power on the part of the Selangor mentri besar.”

Khalid says that such statements have damaged his reputation and insinuated that he was dishonest, corrupt, unethical, untrustworthy and had committed a criminal offence.

“The defendants are not only maligning and defaming me, but have also crossed the lines of common decency by openly or subtly encouraging and instigating the stigmatisation and alienation to readers of the article,” alleged Khalid.

Khalid is claiming an unspecified amount for compensatory, aggravated, exemplary, general and special damages and is also seeking a court order restraining the defendants from repeating the defamatory words.

His lawyer Sankaran Nair said that he had written to MACC on February 26 and March 19 seeking clarification on his client’s behalf. He added that MACC did not respond and as a result, Khalid has no choice but to file a libel suit to clear his name.

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