MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki says he will proceed with a RM5 million defamation lawsuit after a Letter of Demand (LOD) was successfully served on an individual he alleges defamed him over the Tabung Haji (TH) issue.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Asyraf said the latest development showed that “the truth has prevailed.”
“Alhamdulillah, the truth has been proven. A RM5 million lawsuit awaits. The Letter of Demand has been successfully served on the individual who defamed me,” he wrote.
He also pledged that any compensation awarded through the lawsuit would be donated to the MARA Education Foundation (Yayasan Pelajaran MARA) to benefit underprivileged students.
“I promise that every sen of the compensation will be channelled to the MARA Education Foundation for the benefit of poor students,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Tabung Haji’s management and operations from 2014 to 2020 concluded that the institution’s crisis stemmed from weak governance and management, rather than abuse of power.
The report said the problems were caused by a combination of factors, including unsustainable hibah payments, high-risk investment decisions, inappropriate accounting practices, and weaknesses in governance.
Previously, Asyraf instructed his lawyers from Adnan Sharida & Associates to issue Letters of Demand to Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) National Leadership Council member Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh and social media account owner Habin Faisal Mohamed, who uses the name Abied Abdullah.
He alleged that both individuals had published and circulated defamatory statements regarding his role in issues involving Tabung Haji.
