In a cease and desist letter issued by his lawyers to MalaysiaNow, Farhash said allegations that he owned Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd, and that the company had been awarded a licence, were “false and defamatory”.
The lawyers said Farhash was merely a director and shareholder of Bumi Suria.
“The article falsely attributes to him a personal interest and benefit in a licence that does not exist, and misleadingly implies political impropriety or preferential treatment, which is both damaging and baseless,” the letter read.
It said neither Farhash nor Bumi Suria has ever been awarded any mineral prospecting or exploration licence in Sabah.
The lawyers said that publication “of these falsehoods, along with their insinuations” has caused Farhash significant reputational harm.
They also claimed that MalaysiaNow did not verify the facts with the relevant government authorities and had therefore violated basic journalistic standards.
They demanded that the portal immediately cease and desist from publishing or disseminating the said article or any of its content.
They also demanded that the article be removed from the website and all social media channels.
“We are instructed to demand that you issue a full and unequivocal public retraction and apology, to be prominently published both on your website and all MalaysiaNow social media platforms within 48 hours.
“Take notice that should you fail to comply with the above demands within the stipulated time, our client reserves all rights to initiate legal proceedings against your organisation and any responsible individuals.”
Earlier today, MalaysiaNow reported that Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM) awarded Bumi Suria an exploration licence for coal mining.
The report said it had been granted exclusive rights to explore and search for minerals on 70,000ha in the Kalabakan and Gunung Rara forest reserves near the Kalimantan border.
In a statement to FMT, SMM CEO Natasha Sim said the state government agency was not a licence-awarding body, nor did it have jurisdiction to award or issue licences.
Sim also said Bumi Suria had never been issued or awarded any prospecting licence by the state government.