Minister in Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Bahrom filed a defamation suit against National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) today for its allegations of abuses in the use of the orphans fund.

Jamil named NOW director Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir as the sole defendant.

His lawyer, Adnan Seman @ Abdullah, said although the statement of claim does not stipulate any amount, his client is seeking RM10 million in damages for the libel claim.

Jamil said he is filing the suit to clear his name following the defamatory statements made.

Senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the filing of such lawsuits should be encouraged, to ensure action on such impunity of putting people down by making such irresponsible statement does not go on anymore.

"People have been coming out with such statements, to the point that you do not know which is the truth anymore" Shafee said.

Jamil is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages, along with an apology from Akmal.

The minister had earlier sent a letter of demand to the Akmal for him to apologise, which elapsed yesterday.

Akmal made the allegation that the minister had abused Yapeim's funds catering to the poor and orphans to go golf and shopping in the United States.

Painted a bad picture of Jamil

Jamil in his statement of claim said Akmal, who is PKR Johor Bahru division chief, made the statement to the media on Nov 14 and also put it up in NOW's Facebook, which had seen thousands of people clicking on it.

The allegations made, he said, painted the picture that he is not honest, had betrayed the people's trust and that he had abused the orphans' fund for his personal interests and to have fun overseas.

The minister said the statement by Akmal also showed that he is corrupt, cannot be trusted, was wasting the orphanage's and the poor people's funds, does not have principles and ethics and that he is not a good Muslim.

These allegations had tarnished his reputation and resulted in serious injury to his good name as a minister looking after Islamic affairs in the country.

Jamil also claimed that there was bad intention on the part of Akmal to issue the statements, resulting in him being ridiculed and face public odium.

“As the defendant is a member of PKR, Akmal has bad intention and also political interests to drop my reputation and honour as a minister so as to gain the people's support for the opposition,” Jamil argued.

“Such attacks on me are also aimed at affecting Umno and BN (to which Jamil is affiliated to),” he added.