DAP has instructed its lawyers to take legal action against Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia for alleged "defamatory lies" attributed to a booklet written by the "fictitious" Father Augustus Chen.

Party veteran Lim Kit Siang said this follows the daily's decision to continue "recycling the lies" despite DAP's denial.

NONE He added that the author must not only prepare for "multiple mega-defamation suits" but also criminal proceedings for the booklet.

The latest article, he noted, was published in the daily's Sunday edition Mingguan Malaysia yesterday, a week after Lim issued a statement daring Chen to surface.

"In my media statement (on Aug 7), I described the fictitious 'Father Augustus Chen' as an 'evil genius' for cramming and packing some 100 lies and falsehoods into a 12-page booklet, and I gave him seven days to surface and prove that he is not phantom.

"The seven-day period for ‘Father Augustus Chen’ to surface have long come and gone, and no ‘Father Augustus Chen’ has appeared...

"There is not an iota of truth in these malicious and defamatory allegations against DAP and DAP leaders," he said in his statement today.

In the booklet entitled “The Equity Report (CEC Election Fraud)”, the author claimed among others that 753 delegates were not notified of the DAP congress in Penang last December.

The author said that 547 "phantom delegates" voted at the DAP congress.

Lim said this was to justify the Registrar of Societies threat that it would de-register DAP if it does not hold a re-election for its central executive committee, following a "technical glitch".

The "glitch" saw Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari elected as CEC member, in place of another candidate, Vincent Woo who was initially elected.

DAP has since agreed to hold the re-election to avoid de-registration, but has yet to decide when.

Malaysiakini 's checks with the Council of Churches Malaysia found that there is no priest or pastor who goes by the name "Father Augustus Chen" in the CCM's records.