Perlis Mentri Besar Shahidan Kassim has filed a suit against a political writer and two others for RM30 million over an article which allegedly defamed him as a state leader.

Shahidan named former Detik editor Ahmad Lutfi Othman, Adil publisher Penerbitan Pemuda and printer Angkatan Edaran Enterprise as defendants in the defamation suit filed by his lawyer at the Kangar High Court last Sunday.

In his statement of claim, Shahidan alleged that the article in a tabloid called Adil entitled "Perlis MB stopped Baitulmal scholarships" in August last year, had "dragged him into a public scandal, ridicule and hatred" and has disparaged his (Shahidan's) image as an Umno and Perlis state leader of high standing.

The article had stated that Shahidan issued a directive to stop the awarding of the state's Baitulmal scholarships to Perlis-born students who were studying abroad.

When contacted by malaysiakini , Lutfi said that he would file his defence through his lawyer Hanipa Maidin.

'Harakah' vendor arrested

Meanwhile, a distributor of PAS organ Harakah will be brought before the Penang High Court on Feb 10 after Home Ministry officials and police detained Ibrahim Mohammad during a raid of his stall in Penang last month.

According to a report in HarakahDaily.com yesterday, officials from the ministry accompanied by police confiscated newspapers, ceramah VCDs and cassette tapes from Ibrahim Mohammad's stall in Jalan Dato Keramat, Penang on Jan 31.

Ibrahim is currently out on police bail of RM3,000.