Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the government and another contended that businessperson Halim Saad was never forced to relinquish his controlling stake in troubled firm Renong Bhd in 2001.

The two parties as well as another defendant, former finance minister II Nor Mohamed Yakcop, made this contention in their statement of defence against Halim’s lawsuit.

“The third defendant (government) has never perpetrated forced take-over of the controlling shareholding stake of the plaintiff (Halim) in order to execute the general offer (GO) whether individually or with Renong Bhd...