Wan Saiful tells Bernama to take down ‘defamatory’ article

Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan is accused of soliciting bribes to help Nepturis Sdn Bhd secure a RM232 million highway interchange project. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan has demanded that national news agency Bernama take down an allegedly defamatory article about his corruption trial.

Wan Saiful also wants Bernama to publish a written apology on its platform and to pay general and aggravated damages.

The article’s headline reads: “Syarikat Dibantu Wan Saiful Peroleh Penarafan Empat Bintang, Mahkamah Diberitahu” (Company assisted by Wan Saiful to obtain four-star rating, court told).

The Bersatu MP’s law firm, Chetan Jethwani, said the article, which was reproduced by several news outlets, gave the wrong impression of its client.

“Our client maintains that he did not provide any assistance or help the company in question to obtain a four-star rating from the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).

“We assert that the title of the article is a misrepresentation of the evidence presented during trial proceedings, because no such evidence was ever tendered to demonstrate the supposed assistance provided by our client in securing the rating from the CIDB,” the firm said.

The law firm also asked Bernama to reveal the identity of the reporter who wrote the article.

It warned that it would initiate legal proceedings against Bernama and the government if the news agency, which falls under the communications ministry, failed to comply with its demands within 24 hours.

“Our client asserts that he is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law.”

Wan Saiful is accused of soliciting bribes from Lian Tan Chuan as an inducement to help Nepturis Sdn Bhd secure the RM232 million Central Spine Road-Sertik to East Coast Highway Interchange project from the former Perikatan Nasional-led government at the pre-qualification stage.

The former Bersatu information chief is also accused of accepting RM6.96 million in cash through the CIMB account of his company, WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd, from a Maybank Islamic account belonging to Nepturis as a reward for helping the company obtain a letter of acceptance for the project.

Wan Saiful is also charged with 18 counts of laundering RM5.59 million by transferring and using the illegal proceeds to pay for the purchase of a vehicle, making payments to the National Sports Council, as well as transferring money to several company accounts, including one belonging to Sinar Karangkraf Sdn Bhd.

On Tuesday, Bernama quoted CIDB assistant engineer Siti Nooraishah Zainal Abidin as saying a letter in Nepturis’s name was released from CIDB’s centralised information management system after the company applied for the contractor capability and capability evaluation programme.

The company obtained a four-star rating after a review of documents uploaded by Nepturis in the system, she said.

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