Breaking her silence, Ambiga hits out at the targeted acts of harassment against her by critics.
Former Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan was named in a court filing in Britain as the person who leaked certain information to Sarawak Report.
In a statement on Thursday, the lawyer said she faced a barrage of attacks over the past few days from critics aligned to the claimant in the case, referring to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
“They seriously undermine, and are disrespectful of, the UK proceedings and may in my view, amount to a contempt of the UK court. As these acts may in one way or another be seen to be connected to the claimant, I believe he could be answerable to the UK court for them,” she said.
Last month, it was reported that Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown had named Ambiga as the source of her allegation that Abdul Hadi purportedly received RM90 million from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Rewcastle-Brown claimed she spoke to Ambiga in July 2016 regarding Najib, 1Malaysia Development Bhd and PAS. She had filed the court document in response to a suit filed by Abdul Hadi in April.
The result since the news broke has been a media firestorm for the former Bersih 2.0 co-chairman, with many from the Barisan Nasional and PAS urging her to explain herself.
In her statement, Ambiga said that the recently disclosed defence and counterclaim in the suit focused on two paragraphs in which she had been specifically named.
“I have refrained from comment for now, in view of the pending proceedings in the UK court.
“It is therefore highly unusual and irregular that those in the claimant’s party and others who are aligned to him are seeking to conduct a mini-trial (or persecution) in Malaysia on the two paragraphs of the defence that mention my name,” Ambiga said.
“Bloggers identified with the ruling party have made sexist, racist and highly defamatory remarks about both Ms Rewcastle-Brown and myself. The social media has been used to attack my reputation and character,” she said.
According to the Malay Mail Online, she revealed that three men had visited her home on Wednesday claiming they were from the media and stood outside filming her home, while journalists from news outlets Berita Harian and TV3 apparently camped outside her office for two hours.
She said that a police report has also been lodged against her based on Rewcastle-Brown’s defence and counterclaim.
Ambiga also said in her statement that the forum for the proceedings in Britain was chosen by Abdul Hadi and it is therefore in the UK court that any request or demand for documents or information must be made.
“It is there that the responses to the serious allegations contained in the defence and counterclaim must be submitted. It is there that the trial will be held. In the UK. Not in Malaysia,” she said.
She added that those who are aggrieved in any way ought to take their grievances to the court in Britain.
“I believe they may even intervene in those proceedings and become parties if they feel strongly enough and have a case to put forward,” she said.
Earlier report: Oct 31, Ambiga Declines to Comment on Being Named as Sourced by Sarawak Report