Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has just appointed lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun as his solicitor for the suit by former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Hafarizam revealed this to reporters outside the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

"I will be writing to (Mahathir's lawyer) Haniff Khatri Abdulla today to ask for the writ filed by Mahathir and two others to be served on me, as the solicitor acting for Najib,"

Mahathir, along with Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Anina Saaduddin, had filed a suit against Najib last Wednesday for breach of fiduciary duties and misfeasance in public office.

All three plaintiffs are part of the Citizens’ Declaration movement to remove Najib as prime minister.

On a separate matter, the application by Hafarizam, on behalf of Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, to strike out part of PKR Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and Media Rakyat portal owner Chan Chee Kong’s defence will be decided on April 15.

Hafarizam is seeking to strike out the fair comment defence, he said, as Rafizi’s allegations related to oil subsidy were presented as facts in a forum in Nov 2014.

“We applied to strike out the paragraphs relating to fair comment.

“Our argument is that it can only be fair comment if it’s just an expression of comment and not a statement of fact,” Hafarizam said.

Najib and Rosmah had filed the suit on April 16 last year, claiming that Rafizi made a disparaging statement against them at a forum on oil subsidy in Bandar Tun Razak on Nov 22 in 2014.

They alleged that Rafizi’s speech was recorded by Media Rakyat and uploaded by Chan or his assistant on Media Rakyat’s YouTube and portal.

The couple are seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages deemed fit by the court, interest and costs.

They are also seeking an injunction to stop Rafizi, Chan and their agents from further publishing the alleged defamatory words, and also or order for the two defendant to make a written public apology in the newspapers and magazines.