RM 90 JUTA - KENYATAAN PAS " ARE INACCURTE "

Sarawak Report wishes to correct statements by the Malaysian political party PAS, claiming that they are pursuing legal action against this site in the UK.

Yesterday, the Deputy President of the party was again extensively reported as saying that this was the case as he railed against a former member of the party, who has spoken of a certain sum of money that he alleges was transferred to PAS via Afin Bank:

“Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has vehemently denied the allegations made by Husam [Musa].

“This malicious slander follows those made by Sarawak Report, which is now the subject of legal action.

“PAS will take legal action against him (Husam Musa) just like we did against the Sarawak Report,” he said on his Facebook page. [365 News]

As of this date we can confirm that the PAS Party has not initiated any legal action against Sarawak Report.

Two months ago a member of the party did send a letter, written by a lawyer, claiming he had been defamed and threatening to take legal action if we did not satisfy certain demands within a week.

However, when that week expired he did not take the action he had threatened.

Paying a lawyer to write a letter is not the same as initiating legal action.  To emphasise this fact the lawyer entitled his letter as a ‘letter of claim pursuant to the pre-action protocol for defamation.

Sarawak Report is of the opinion that this individual does not have a case and neither does he embody the party PAS, which has not as an entity submitted any letters, claims or threats and would be hard-pressed to find grounds to sue under British law.  We suspect that his own lawyers have given him the same advice, which would explain his failure to file a writ.

Two months on, we assume he chickened out.

Therefore, members of PAS, who continue to publicly claim that there is legal action underway against Sarawak Report in the UK, should consider the penalty for telling lies under the Hudud Law they are seeking to introduce and mind their accuracy.

They should also consider the cost of initiating a libel case in the UK, which can run into millions of ringgit, because their membership will surely want to know where they got that money?

TERJEMAHAN

Sarawak Report menafikan bahawa Pas telah memulakan tindakan undang-undang terhadap laman web itu kerana mendakwa kepimpinan kanan parti Islam itu menerima RM90 juta daripada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Sehingga hari ini, kami boleh mengesahkan bahawa Pas belum lagi memulakan sebarang tindakan undang-undang terhadap Sarawak Report," kata Sarawak Report dalam satu kenyataan.

Pihaknya menegaskan demikian sebagai membetulkan kenyataan Timbalan Presiden Pas Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man Jumaat lalu bahawa parti itu akan mengambil tindakan undang-undang terhadap bekas Naib Presiden Pas Datuk Husam Musa seperti yang dilakukan terhadap Sarawak Report.

Husam menerusi satu klip video ceramahnya yang kini ditularkan melalui media sosial mendakwa Pas menerima wang RM90 juta daripada Umno seperti didedahkan Sarawak Report.

Beliau juga mendakwa wang itu disalurkan melalui sebuah bank tempatan, Affin Bank.

Mengulas lanjut, Sarawak Report yang berpengkalan di UK berkata, dua bulan lalu seorang pimpinan Pas menghantar surat tuntutan melalui peguam di United Kingdom (UK) mengandungi tuntutan agar Sarawak Report menarik balik artikel yang didakwa memfitnah parti itu.

Sarawak Report mendakwa sejumlah RM90 juta dipercayai dimasukkan ke akaun pimpinan kanan Pas.

Transaksi itu, katanya, antara usaha Najib untuk memikat kepimpinan Pas agar menyokong Barisan Nasional dan Umno.

Walau bagaimanapun, Pas tidak mengambil apa-apa tindakan selepas seminggu tuntutan itu dibuat.

"Membayar seorang peguam untuk menulis surat adalah tidak sama dengan mengambil tindakan undang-undang," jelas Sarawak Report.

Justeru pihaknya berpandangan, Pas tidak mempunyai fakta yang cukup untuk menyaman Sarawak Report.

"Selepas dua bulan berlalu, kami menganngap Pas menipu. Kami mengesyaki peguam Pas sendiri sudah memberi nasihat yang sama, menjelaskan kegagalannya untuk memfailkan writ," katanya lagi.

Sarawak Report juga menasihatkan ahli Pas yang mendakwa bahawa parti Islam itu telah memfailkan saman terhadap laman web itu agar meneliti semula dakwaan itu.

"Bolehkah mereka bercakap bohong di bawah undang-undang hudud yang sedang diperjuangkan.

"Pas juga perlu mengambil kira kos memulakan saman fitnah di UK, yang menelan berjuta-juta ringgit, sudah pasti ahlinya mahu tahu di mana mereka mendapat wang itu?" katanya.