People’s Progressive Party (PPP) leader M Kayveas has brushed off rumours that he would be arrested soon by the police soon.

Speaking at a function in Taiping today, Kayveas said he had received more than 20 telephone calls from journalists and supporters warning him that he faces arrest in Taiping.

“The latest rumour was that instead of the police, it was the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission that was coming after me.

kayveas hq pc 050609 “This does not frighten me. I am only giving out money to the people and do not receive anything in return,” he told a crowd of parents and children who came to receive donations for education, handed out by his wife, Blanche O’Leary.

Speaking to reporters later, Kayveas said that the rumours were untrue as he would be accompanying his wife to Papua New Guinea on Monday, where she will be beginning her tenure as ambassador to that country.

“So if the rumour is true - which it is not - the Foreign Ministry will not issue me the passport to visit Papua New Guinea. It is simple as that,” he reasoned.

Rumour started by opponents?

Kayveas said accusations of his ‘impending’ arrest - for reasons that are still unknown - were started by his political rivals, without naming them.

It is understood that Kayveas was referring to sacked PPP member T Murugiah, who is trying to wrest control of the party.

Kayveas said his political opponents must not resort to slandering him or be prepared to face defamation suits and criminal charges.

Earlier today, Kayveas filed three police reports in Putrajaya naming four former PPP members of making defamatory remarks against him.

According to the police reports, the four are NA Shanmuganathan, R Rajendran, SG Jothie and M Jeyaratnam. All four are closely linked to Murugiah.

On June 22, Shanmuganathan lodged an MACC report alleging that PPP’s 2008 financial statement submitted to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) contained irregularities and accused Kayveas of misappropriating party funds.

Kayveas to sue papers

The accuser also claimed that the financial statements said the party was ‘contingently liable’ of RM3 million to the Blanche’s law firm for rendering professional services.

Kayveas had repeatedly stressed that it was impossible for Shanmuganathan to obtain such information as the party has yet to submit its 2008 accounts to ROS.

He also stated that he is taking civil defamation actions against four newspapers - Sinar Harian, New Straits Times and Tamil dailies Tamil Nesan and Makkal Osai - for publishing Shanmuganathan’s allegation.

“I requested one newspaper to carry my reply on the issue but they declined and now they want to settle the matter out of court so I declined. I want them to face the music in court.”