IPOH, 25 Aug 2008: Two Perak state executive councillors today filed a RM100 million suit against the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and three others over their arrest in connection with a corruption case involving a RM180 million Seri Iskandar housing project near here.
Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, 57, and Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, 52, filed the suit through the law firm of Asri-Chek Ming & Co. at the High Court registrar’s office here at 9am and named the agency, ACA director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan, Perak ACA director Samsiah Abu Bakar and Star Publications (M) Bhd as the defendants.
They are demanding RM100 million in general damages from the ACA, Ahmad Said and Samsiah, who are the first, second and third defendants respectively for wrongful arrest, wrongful detention, prosecuting with an ulterior motive, misfeasance and libel apart from aggravated damages, exemplary damages, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.
In the writ of summons, Jamaluddin, who is the second plaintiff, claimed that the three defendants without reasonable grounds had arrested and detained him when he was asked to give a statement at the Perak ACA office here.
Besides this, both plaintiffs also claimed the three defendants caused news to be published, or circulated media statements to the press, that were malicious toward them, on Aug 20.
They further claimed that the three defendants orchestrated their arrest with ulterior motives and implicated them not only in corruption, but also sexual matters.
This was aimed at tarnishing their image and killing their political careers as well as jeopardising the chances of Parti Keadilan Rakyat in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election tomorrow, they claimed.
Mohd Osman and Jamaluddin also claimed the three defendants had knowledge that the corruption and sex allegations against them were false but did not act to prevent them from being widely spread by the media.
From the fourth defendant, Star Publications, the plaintiffs are seeking general damages for libel, cost and other relief deemed fit by the court.
They claimed that the fourth defendant had wilfully and with ill intention against them published a news reports titled “Sex and Bribes Two Perak Exco members Nabbed” on 21 Aug.
This caused them embarrassment, tarnished their reputation, and put them under duress, they said. – Bernama
