Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the High Court in Kuala Lumpur that he never initiated defamation suits action against anyone, despite the various allegations and false statements made against him when he led the country for 22 years, and even after his retirement.

Mahathir, who was testifying in his son Mukhriz's defamation suit against former Transparency International president Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim, said a leader may face many allegations due to people disliking the leader.

"However, my responsibility as a leader in the government was to prove to the people of my service through the right things that I did in leading the government...