Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua will proceed with his suit against Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for a host of allegations, including one which insinuates that the former was once charged in a Singaporean court.

NONE Pua ( left in photo ) said that he was left with no choice but to initiate legal proceedings to clear his name because Zahid had refused to apologise within the stipulated time frame.

"As a result of the minister's refusal to apologise, I have instructed my lawyers today, to proceed with a suit against Zahid for defamation and spreading malicious falsehoods," Pua told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

On Friday, Pua had given Zahid 24-hours to retract his claims. Among others, Zahid had claimed that Pua was once charged by a Singaporean court and thus could not run for Parliament there.

Zahid also wrongly claimed that Pua received his primary school education in Singapore. Pua had in fact went to a primary school in his home town of Batu Pahat.

Pua’s lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who is also the Puchong MP, said that the suit will likely be filed next week but refused to state the quantum sought from Zahid.

“It’s not about the money, but the principle,” said Gobind.

Over the past few years, Pua had been dogging Zahid over defence procurement and its clandestine nature.

Last Tuesday, during a debate on how rambutans were being branded as “Singaporean lychee” in the West, Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin had jokingly called Pua a “Singaporean agent”.

Following this, Zahid told reporters during a press conference at his defence ministry office that Bung Moktar might have been referring to Pua’s alleged schooling and court incident in Singapore. the minister, though the Bagan Datoh MP in turn said that he too can sue Pua.