The New Straits Times reported Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim as saying that investigation papers on the matter had been opened following police reports lodged by camps aligned with both the leaders against each other.
“We will call everyone who is involved,” he was quoted as saying.
He also assured that the police will carry out investigations in a detailed manner, including on Mahathir, 92, who is chairman of Pakatan Harapan and PPBM.
The investigations would be conducted under Section 500 of the Penal Code for defamation, he added.
Zahid, who is acting Umno deputy president, had said at the Jerlun Umno division meeting yesterday that he had a voice recording of the meeting between him and Mahathir in 2015 that would prove he had not plotted to remove Prime Minister Najib Razak from power.
Though he admitted to having had a meeting with Mahathir days after his appointment, he denied the former prime minister’s claim that it was to seek support to bring down Najib.
“The recording is still with me. They forget easily, but I don’t,” he said.
On Aug 1, Mahathir had claimed in a video recording posted online that Zahid had approached him to get his backing when he was appointed to take over as deputy prime minister.
He criticised Zahid for coming to see him when wanting his sympathy but going on a path of deception (“jalan bohong”) when he could not get it.
The remark was made after Zahid had on July 30 claimed at the Kelana Jaya Umno division meeting that Mahathir’s old IC carried the name “Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty”.
The “a/l” stands for “anak lelaki” which in Malay means “son of”, and is commonly used in the official naming of Malaysians of Indian ethnicity.
Zahid had said that “the man who struggled for the Malay agenda” was actually “using the Malays”.