Kuala Lumpur: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he is ready to face tycoon Tan Sri Halim Saad’s lawsuit in court as he has “nothing to hide”, but questioned the timing of the businessman’s court case against him.
Dr Mahathir said his lawyer told him that Halim had sued him, former minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop and the government of Malaysia over his purported instructions in the past for the businessman to let go of United Engineers Malaysia (UEM) Bhd and Renong Berhad without any profits to Halim.
“Halim Saad also alleged that he did not agree with those instructions, but I had misused powers in 2001 to force him to let go.
“He claimed that UEM and Renong are his and I had set aside his constitutional rights. He wants to be paid compensation,” Dr Mahathir said in a statement.
“I will answer this accusation in court through my lawyer. I have nothing to hide,” he added.
But Dr Mahathir also said Halim’s latest lawsuit was odd, as the latter had previously also tried to sue Nor Mohamed and Khazanah Nasional but had failed after the court threw out his case in 2013.
“I am also taken aback (hairan) by Halim Saad’s accusation. Why has he not taken action against me all this while, and suddenly decides to sue when the election is near?” Dr Mahathir said.
Halim had filed the lawsuit on August 2 at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, where he sought compensation for the financial losses he suffered in relation to the government’s takeover of UEM and Renong, as well as for the alleged breach of his constitutional rights as he claimed the government had not paid him adequate compensation over the matter.
Halim announced the lawsuit publicly on August 9, which was also when it came up for case management at the High Court.
The lawsuit is scheduled for case management next on September 13.
