SARAWAK Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown has named former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan as a source of information for alleging that top leaders in PAS had received money from Prime Minister Najib Razak.

According to her defence and counterclaim statement provided to The Malaysian Insight, Rewcastle-Brown said she spoke to the former Bersih chairman in July 2016 regarding Najib, 1MDB and PAS.

“Ambiga had told the defendant that her sources, whom she said were reliable, had estimated the amount that had been paid was around RM90 million,” said Rewcastle-Brown in her court filing dated October 11.

Rewcastle-Brown’s defence was filed in relation to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s defamation suit against her in April this year.

Hadi claimed that he had been defamed in the Sarawak Report article entitled As Najib denies all over 1MDB let’s not forget his many other criminal connections published on August 6, 2016.

The article suggested that money was given in exchange for PAS’ support for Barisan Nasional.

Rewcastle-Brown said she published parts of her conversation with Ambiga in good faith as a political commentary on a matter of public interest.

The filing also told the court that Najib allegedly transferred more than RM200 million to former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa since 2014, to fund a particular PAS faction.

The Sarawak Report editor said: “The secret funding continued through 2015 and thereafter, including for the general assembly of June 2015”.

She further alleged that the funding included events such as the first fastaqim in October 2015 and other events held until International Conference on Muslim Unity in July 2017.

Her defence also named several PAS leaders who, she alleged, had bought cars, properties or took new wives. She provided a long list of luxury vehicles bought by them.

In her counterclaim, Rewcastle-Brown said the claimant had provided or aided two blogs, including Malaysia Today which is run by Raja Petra Kamarudin, for them to run articles to harass her.

“The harassment has caused the defendant (Rewcastle-Brown) severe stress, anxiety and distress, for which she claims damages.”

Rewcastle-Brown also applied for an injunction to stop Hadi from further harassing her. – October 30, 2017.