Faridhulathroth Hashim, a major general, said Badrul had published multiple Facebook posts since Dec 31 containing “false, malicious and defamatory” accusations that had seriously damaged his reputation.

He said the allegations included claims of corruption, abuse of position, misuse of public resources, involvement in unlawful “clandestine operations”, and the existence of so-called “safe houses” allegedly holding large sums of cash.

“I vehemently deny all these accusations. I have carried out my duties as assistant chief of staff (intelligence) in Malaysia diligently, lawfully, and with integrity,” he said in a statement today.

Faridhulathroth said his lawyers had issued Badrul a letter of demand, which is pending service, and that he intends to take the matter to court.

“Therefore, I urge all members of the public to refrain from resharing the content from Badrul as it is not only false but also the subject of a police investigation,” he said.

In a Dec 31 social media post, Badrul accused several senior military officers of misconduct linked to the army’s procurement and intelligence environment.

Those named included National Defence Education Centre president Sabri Zali, a vice-admiral, who publicly denied the allegations and filed a lawsuit against Badrul.

Berita Harian reported that 18 civil claims against Badrul were filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

Sabri’s lawyer, Firdaus Jumaludin, said the suit was filed after Badrul failed to retract defamatory statements and continued to spread false claims that damaged Sabri’s reputation.