This comes after Tei demanded that Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah information chief Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan apologise for claiming he was the mastermind behind the mining scandal in Sabah.

In a statement, Nizam said he has rejected Tei’s letter of demand (LOD) through his solicitors as his comments were factual, substantially true and made in the public interest.

The state assistant minister also pointed out that Tei was standing trial on charges of offering bribes, had been sued by Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd for fraud and conspiracy to injure, and had already been denied his “self-proclaimed whistleblower status”.

“It is a fundamental principle that a defamation action requires a reputation to protect. Given the serious charges and legal admissions already on public record, the claim of a damaged reputation is without merit.

“Should legal proceedings be initiated, this lack of reputation will be fully adjudicated before the court.

“I have instructed my solicitors to vigorously defend against any claim and to file a counterclaim should legal proceedings be initiated,” said Nizam, the two-term Apas assemblyman.

Last month, Nizam said the manner in which Tei went about applying for prospecting licences raised many questions, including as to whether “shortcuts” were taken to secure the requisite approvals, including through the falsification of documents.

Tei is alleged to have applied for the licences to mine close to one million acres in total, using 20 companies, according to Nizam.

Tei, in a recent podcast, claimed that the mining controversy was a scam masterminded by Sabah politicians. He further alleged that prospecting licences were awarded based on political connections rather than merit.

The businessman sent Nizam an LOD on Oct 27 demanding a retraction of his statement and for FMT to take down the relevant articles quoting the GRS man.

He denied Nizam’s remarks, saying they were grossly inaccurate, misleading and a distortion of the actual facts and circumstances.