HOME Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he has yet to receive any letter of demand from caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor after the former accused the latter of stealing rare earth and misappropriating road maintenance funds.

“I have not received anything. The difference between us is that I can be reached anytime, and I do not avoid phone calls.

“I can be approached easily without the need to be arrested at 3am,” he said told a media conference in Putrajaya today.

Sanusi had said he had given Saifuddin seven days to apologise over the accusations.

He made this demand in a letter sent through his lawyers.

Sanusi said Saifuddin, who is also PKR secretary-general, had made the claims as political attacks meant to help Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional ahead of the August 12 state polls.

“You chose to sensationalise this matter by making allegations to the public without any checks and without any documentary evidence that is valid, complete and accurate from a named and reliable source.

“It is clear that your actions are malicious without any intention to seek truth and clarification from our client about the real facts,” the letter said.

Sanusi also wants a reasonable amount of damages to be paid.

On July 15, Saifuddin claimed that Sanusi had been slapped with a compound of RM500,000 for the theft of rare earth in Sik, Kedah last year.

“We appointed a menteri besar to manage the state, not to be a thief,” Saifuddin told a ceramah in Guar Chempedak, Kedah.

However, Sanusi had denied this accusation and claimed Saifuddin had got his facts wrong.

Kedah Land and Mines Office director Md Shuhaime Abd Rahman, meanwhile, said the compound was for Menteri Besar Incorporated and not Sanusi. – July 21, 2023.