An Umno division leader's claim that billions of ringgit are stashed in the bank accounts belonging to Anwar Ibrahim's family has courted a legal letter.
Anwar's wife PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and their children Nurul Izzah, Nurul Nuha and Muhamad Ihsan are demanding that Kepong Umno division chief Rizuan Abd Hamid apologises and retracts his statement.
The legal letter was penned by PKR legal bureau chief Latheefa Koya on behalf of the law firm Daim & Gamany.
Rizuan was given 48 hours to respond, failing which legal action would be initiated.
The legal letter cited an Astro Awani report, where Rizuan said: "Pembangkang pakai duit ratusan juta, berbilion. Tiada siapa pun yang mempersoalkan. Tengok sahaja dalam akaun Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, akaun Nurul Izzah, akaun Nurul Nuha, akaun Mohd Ihsan, berapa juta bilion yang ada dalam akaun itu? Kenapa tidak dipersoalkan?"
(The opposition uses hundreds of millions (of ringgit), billions. But no one questions this. Look into the accounts of Wan Azizah, Nurul Izzah, Nurul Nuha and Mohd Ihsan, how many billions are in these accounts? Why isn't this questioned?)
Latheefa described the allegation as "false, malicious and defamatory".
"Further in the case of Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah, both of whom are members of Parliament and leaders of PKR, these allegations are calculated to injure their credit and reputation as public figures and bring them into public scandal, odium and contempt," she said.
Latheefa demanded that Rizuan issues a full withdrawal of his remarks and an apology published in a national newspaper, subject to the approval of her clients.
She also demanded that Rizuan gives her clients an undertaking not to further utter similar allegations, as well as a payment of a sum acceptable as damages.
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