KOTA KINABALU: Two former Sabah chief ministers will square off in an RM50 million defamation suit over an air crash in which another chief minister Fuad Stephens was killed.
Harris Salleh, the chief minister from 1976 to 1985, has filed a suit against Yong Teck Lee the chief minister from 1996 to 1998, for allegedly insinuating that he was involved in the air crash tragedy.
Harris is claiming damages of not less than RM50 million from Yong, who is also the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) leader. Yong is named as first defendant and his party, second defendant.
He is also seeking an injunction to restrain Yong from printing and publishing further libellous statements in any form.
The writ of summons was filed through his lawyers Messrs Maringking & Co at the High Court here on Monday.
Harris said that the press statements by Yong calling for the reopening of the file on the tragedy that saw Stephens and several members of his cabinet killed on June 6, 1976, also rekindled speculation as to how the plane had crashed in Sembulan on its approach to the airport.
Harris contends that Yong's statement suggested that he (Harris) conspired with others to grab power through the assassination of Stephens.
Yong made the call (for reopening the file) after Umno veteran and former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah recounted how he left the ill-fated aircraft at the very last moment prior to take-off that saved his life.
Harris claims that Yong has sensationalised the Nomad aircraft crash as a political tool to maintain his and his party's political momentum in the run-up to the next state and general elections.
Yong’s comments were widely reported in the press and also published in the party's official website.
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