It's all lies! This is the response from Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairperson Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid regarding the allegations against him and has vowed legal action against his detractors.

"These allegations are not true. The insinuations made from these allegations are defamatory of me and clearly intended to destroy my reputation in the eyes of the public," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Munir referred to three specific allegations - renovation of the MAS chairperson's office, purchase of works of art and his flying the airline free of charge.

He said these allegations were brought to the public attention "without regard to the true facts of the matter".

He said one of the allegations was that he had ordered the renovation of the MAS chairperson's office on assuming the post without regard to the company's financial position and at a time it was posting the losses of the two quarters of the current financial year.

"Actually, the decision to make the renovations was made before my time. They were only implemented at the time I was chairman and took place between December 2004 and January 2005, that is during the last financial year when the company had posted a profit, and before the losses of the current financial year," he explained in a statement.

Furthermore, the renovations were made to the entire corporate floor at Level 34 of the airline's headquarters and not to the chairperson's office alone, he said.

He added that the floor also comprises the main reception area, the boardroom, the waiting area, the corporate dining room and another dining area, and the kitchen.

He explained that the corporate floor was also used for a host of functions and activities, such as signing ceremonies, press conferences, corporate briefings, break fast, functions and other company activities.

Lie after lie

"To suggest that I ordered the renovations, at a time of financial distress, and to the chairperson's office alone is a falsehood, which intentionally disregards the facts," he said.

Similarly, Munir said, the imputation that the investment in three works of art by the airline was for the chairperson's self-gratification, again at a time of financial distress, was another lie.

He clarified that these were corporate investments made in high quality works of art and that they were assets of the company and were not hanged in the chairman's office, as had been alleged.

According to Munir, two of the paintings adorn other areas on the corporate floor and one is in the first class lounge at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

"Repeated reports that they hang in the chairman's office are not true and clearly defamatory," he said.

He added that the decision to acquire the artworks was made during two exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in December 2004, in the last financial year, and not during the time the company showed first and second quarter losses in the current financial year.

In any case, he said, as assets of the company, the works of arts appeared on the balance sheet and they were not an expenditure charged to the profit and loss account.

"The company owns the works of art and has not spent the money away," he added.

Munir also refuted an allegation that he abused his position as chairperson of MAS by flying for free on the airline.

"This is an absolute lie. I fly frequently on the airline for business purposes. When I travel for any other reason, I have not exceeded the entitlements accorded to me as a director of the company," he said.

Legal action

Munir said some other insinuations based on the allegation would be addressed in due course through legal process, as would be other allegations.

He also cautioned that he would not hesitate to take legal action against any person who spread the allegations.

Yesterday, senator Syed Ali Alhabshee, had urged Munir to resign and pave the way for the appointment of a new chairperson.

Last week, Syed Ali brought up in the Dewan Negara the issue of MAS buying RM1.55 million worth of paintings.

Meanwhile, the Senators Club had also called for an independent commission to investigate alleged irregularities in MAS, including the purchase of the paintings.