Amanah Raya Berhad (ARB) Chairman Reezal Merican Naina Merican said in a statement on Wednesday that he had instructed his solicitors to pursue all legal causes of action to protect his interests in the wake of a media statement by Tanjong MP Ng Wei Aik.
Briefly, said Reezal, he denies that ARB had ever extended any loan to 1MBD for the amount of RM2 billion as alleged or any other amount for that matter.
He further denies that upon assuming the chairmanship of ARB or at any time thereafter, he had either on his own or severally with other members of the board of ARB, approved the alleged RM2 billion loan or any other loan with an annual interest rate of 4 per cent or otherwise.
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“The allegation was unfounded and made with the malicious intent to question my integrity as an MP and the chairman of ARB,” he said.
1MDB President and Group Executive Director Arul Kanda Kandasamy, in a separate statement, said there was no truth in the claim by an opposition MP that 1MDB had taken a RM2 billion loan from Amanah Raya Berhad.
“1MDB has never had any financial dealings, including borrowings, with Amanah Raya Berhad,” he said.
“Ng’s statement goes beyond fair comment,” said Reezal who is also Kepala Batas MP. “There was no application for loan from 1MDB in the first place.”
“The fact that he had the audacity to go to the media without confirming the allegations with me, as the chairman of ARB, smacks of mala fide on his part.”
Ng had surprisingly opted to rely on so called ”highly confidential information” from “insider sources”, he noted, instead of just asking him as a fellow lawmaker for confirmation or denial about the allegations.
"Ng Wei Aik made a very serious yet unfounded allegation against ARB as an organization and against me personally on the alleged loan purportedly made to 1MDB as soon as I assumed the chairmanship of ARB.”
The statements made by Ng, he said, are utterly false and without any factual basis whatsoever.
“They are defamation per se in that they depict me as untrustworthy in that I proceeded in approving a loan which my predecessor had refused to approve with the end result that ARB was allegedly having problems with its cash flow,” lamented Reezal .
MY FOOTNOTE: Why not? We can sue each other. Its a trend set by our politicians. As for the 1MDB, I believe PM Najib, Reezal, Arul and others can sue those who slandered them. Similarly, the rakyat, including Tun Dr Mahathir can also sue the government and 1MDB if they have tangible evidence.
Briefly, said Reezal, he denies that ARB had ever extended any loan to 1MBD for the amount of RM2 billion as alleged or any other amount for that matter.
He further denies that upon assuming the chairmanship of ARB or at any time thereafter, he had either on his own or severally with other members of the board of ARB, approved the alleged RM2 billion loan or any other loan with an annual interest rate of 4 per cent or otherwise.
“The allegation was unfounded and made with the malicious intent to question my integrity as an MP and the chairman of ARB,” he said.
1MDB President and Group Executive Director Arul Kanda Kandasamy, in a separate statement, said there was no truth in the claim by an opposition MP that 1MDB had taken a RM2 billion loan from Amanah Raya Berhad.
“1MDB has never had any financial dealings, including borrowings, with Amanah Raya Berhad,” he said.
“Ng’s statement goes beyond fair comment,” said Reezal who is also Kepala Batas MP. “There was no application for loan from 1MDB in the first place.”
“The fact that he had the audacity to go to the media without confirming the allegations with me, as the chairman of ARB, smacks of mala fide on his part.”
Ng had surprisingly opted to rely on so called ”highly confidential information” from “insider sources”, he noted, instead of just asking him as a fellow lawmaker for confirmation or denial about the allegations.
"Ng Wei Aik made a very serious yet unfounded allegation against ARB as an organization and against me personally on the alleged loan purportedly made to 1MDB as soon as I assumed the chairmanship of ARB.”
The statements made by Ng, he said, are utterly false and without any factual basis whatsoever.
“They are defamation per se in that they depict me as untrustworthy in that I proceeded in approving a loan which my predecessor had refused to approve with the end result that ARB was allegedly having problems with its cash flow,” lamented Reezal .
MY FOOTNOTE: Why not? We can sue each other. Its a trend set by our politicians. As for the 1MDB, I believe PM Najib, Reezal, Arul and others can sue those who slandered them. Similarly, the rakyat, including Tun Dr Mahathir can also sue the government and 1MDB if they have tangible evidence.