After Farhash's police report, Bukit Aman targets news outlets for 'criminal defamation'

Police have summoned editors of news portals for questioning following a report filed by controversial PKR politician turned corporate figure Farhash Wafa Salvador, in what lawyers have termed the latest attempt to muzzle the press through the use of draconian laws.

MalaysiaNow is among several media sites believed to be targeted by Bukit Aman's Classified Criminal Investigation Unit for reporting on the release of a video recording on social media last month, in which damning allegations against Farhash and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim were made by a woman during a conversation secretly recorded late last year.

"When editors face the prospect of criminal prosecution over published news reports, the inevitable consequence is fear, self-censorship, and the systematic suppression of stories that matter. This chilling effect does not require a conviction; the summons itself, and the shadow of criminal jeopardy it casts, is sufficient to alter editorial behaviour across the entire media landscape," said MalaysiaNow's counsels, Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh.

It is understood that the editor of news portal Malaysiakini has also been notified by police for questioning.

"You are also requested to bring along any documents or materials related to the publication of the article for investigation purposes," said an email sent by Bukit Aman to MalaysiaNow yesterday.

When contacted, police informed Rajesh that the investigation is based on a report lodged by Farhash and is being carried out under Section 500 of the Penal Code for "criminal defamation" and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, laws that have been increasingly used against journalists, social media users and opposition leaders over the last three years.

Farhash has separately attempted to stop MalaysiaNow from reporting on the Sabah mining licences scandal, which is now the subject of a RM10 million defamation suit he filed against the news portal.

Last year, police carried out two rounds of questioning on MalaysiaNow editor over the news portal's explosive revelation in July 2025 that a company linked to Farhash had obtained approval for a mining exploration licence covering a forest reserve area in Sabah three times the size of Kuala Lumpur.

The latest police report pertains to an article (click here)  on April 22, which reported on a video clip featuring a key prosecution witness in an upcoming corruption trial involving Anwar's former political aide, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

In the 49-second clip, Sofia Rini Buyong, identified as Shamsul's proxy, is heard making startling claims against Anwar and Farhash during her conversation with prominent whistleblower Albert Tei.

Opposition leaders at the time also commented on the contents of the allegations and demanded explanations from Anwar and Farhash.

Two weeks later, Tei filed a police report calling for an investigation into the allegations. He said Sofia had alleged that Anwar's travel to Africa last year was to transfer money, while also claiming that Farhash had obtained Turkish citizenship.

Anwar and Farhash have denied the claims, with the latter lodging a police report and accusing those behind the allegation of having "ulterior motives for political gain".

The latest police investigation into media outlets comes less than a month after police raided the home of Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar over a report on the government's controversial migrant worker recruitment system.

Similar actions in the past have been blamed for Malaysia's decline in this year's annual World Press Freedom Index, dropping seven places from 88th last year to 95th, which critics say is just one example of Anwar's failure to fulfil his reform promises.

In their statement today, Rajesh and Sachpreetraj said that MalaysiaNow had only exercised its constitutional right to report on matters of public interest.

"An article reporting on statements made by a prosecution witness in an ongoing criminal trial falls squarely within the core of constitutionally protected public interest journalism," they said, adding that a free press is not subject to the political convenience of those in power.