Berjaya Group’s Vincent Tan has strenuously denied the allegation that he contributed money to opposition parties.

“I wish to categorically deny the veracity of the statements in your article that I or my Berjaya Group have donated the millions and billions of ringgit to Pakatan Rakyat or opposition parties as suggested in your article.

“It is obvious that the allegations are purely a figment of the writer’s imagination and were crafted for purposes of sensationalism that could well have the effect of souring the goodwill I and the Berjaya Group have with the government,” said the business tycoon in a statement.

Tan was referring to Malaysiakini’s article titled 'Dr M’s cronies who aided Pakatan targeted' published yesterday.

The article quoted a posting on MyKMU.net, a pro-Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak website.

Below is Tan’s full statement:

I refer to Malaysiakini’s article of August 5, 2015 titled “Dr M’s cronies who aided Pakatan targeted.”

I wish to categorically deny the veracity of the statements in your article that I or my Berjaya Group have donated the millions and billions of ringgit to Pakatan Rakyat or opposition parties as suggested in your article.

It is obvious that the allegations are purely a figment of the writer’s imagination and were crafted for purposes of sensationalism that could well have the effect of souring the goodwill I and the Berjaya Group have with the government.

While you may claim that you are quoting from an open letter written by one Amin Yatim from the blog MyKMU.net, these are nevertheless mischievous, slanderous, and completely baseless allegations.

It is disheartening to note that these days, just about anybody can make use of the internet to spread lies and sensationalise baseless accusations for their own twisted agenda. A credible online news portal should have, and indeed have, a legal and moral duty to verify these stories before publishing them.

Malaysiakini made no attempt whatsoever to verify the truth of these scurrilous allegations with me or anyone at the Berjaya Group before you went to publication. I find this totally abhorrent and unprofessional from a supposedly well-regarded online news portal like Malaysiakini .

This is particularly so when your report stated that the DAP treasurer had dismissed the allegation that I had made such contributions and the PKR treasurer-general had also denied any knowledge of the matter. These denials should have raised questions on the veracity of the allegations and warranted further investigation on your part before the article was published.

Your article has caused much embarrassment to me personally and the Berjaya Group, and I have already received numerous calls from my friends and business associates regarding these allegations. I, personally, as well as the Berjaya Group, have many foreign business partners and such allegations will cause serious damage to my and the Berjaya Group’s image and trading reputation.

I hereby demand a public apology from Malaysiakini which is to be published immediately on your news portal without prejudice to any further action which I may take against Malaysiakini . I and the Berjaya Group reserve all our rights in this matter.

Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun

Editor’s note: Prior to publishing the article, Malaysiakini had tried calling the Berjaya Group corporate communications department several times but there was no answer. An email was also sent to the department, but it has yet to receive a response.

We apologise for the report.