KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has denied that he made defamatory remarks against Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp) founder and adviser Tan Sri Vincent Tan, saying that his comments were taken out of context. 

In Sanusi’s statement of defence in the RM200 million defamation suit filed against him by Tan, Sanusi claimed that the comments he made at a public event were only to emphasise to the people that he would take care of their welfare — instead of safeguarding the interests of rich corporations. 

Tan and BCorp's unit Berjaya Land Bhd (BLand) are demanding a public apology and RM200 million in compensation from the PAS leader over his remarks on the RM700 million project involving the rehabilitation of the Klang River. 

Sanusi raised the defence of fair comment and qualified privilege in making the said comments. 

He also denied saying that Tan was corrupt. He further denied mentioning BLand in his speech, and denied ever saying that Tan and BLand had done illegal activity or had broken the law. 

He also denied saying that Tan and BLand had lied to the people of Selangor and the Malaysian public. 

Tan, through his lawyers, claimed that Sanusi’s alleged defamatory comments implied that Tan is a corrupt person, corrupt businessman and a crony to Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

Tan claimed that the comments implied that he had benefited directly or indirectly, or received for free a piece of 600-acre (242.81-hectare) land from the Selangor government.

Tan further claimed that Sanusi’s comments implied that he had given benefits to the Selangor government for the said land, and as such caused the state to incur losses of RM180 million.

“The defamatory statements were completely untrue, extreme, vile and specious/spurious, and had no basis whatsoever,” according to Tan.

However, Sanusi claimed that the comments he made about the 600-acre land are true, and that Tan and BLand are being given the land by the state government for a river project.

Sanusi said that as a member of the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition, it is his duty to reveal issues of governance and leakages that took place within the administration held by members of the ruling coalitions, namely Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.

He claimed that he continued to make revelations of issues of governance and leakages despite attacks on him. 

For the Selangor Maritime Gateway project, a special purpose vehicle called Landasan Lumayan Berjaya Sdn Bhd (LLBSB) was reportedly formed through a joint venture between Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated’s subsidiary Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (with a 45% stake) and Berjaya Hartanah Bhd (55%) to, among others, clean and develop the Klang River.

Tan’s lawyers explained that Tan and BLand never obtained and were never awarded any land measuring 600 acres valued at RM10 billion as alleged by Sanusi.

“In actual fact, only several parcels of land totalling 103.6 acres were identified as feasible for development and granted approval for alienation to LLBSB by the Selangor government with specific conditions,” the statement read.

The statement clarified that BLand was the party being required to raise funds to pay the premium based on the market rate for the alienation of the 103.6-acre land to LLBSB.

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Vincent Tan, Berjaya Land demand RM200 mil compensation from Sanusi over remarks on SMG project