KUALA LUMPUR - Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid, the widow of the late Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, along with her two children and their lawyers, filed an originating lawsuit in the High Court on Friday against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The lawsuit addresses allegations related to an investigation into efforts to overthrow the government and also names two other parties: the Inspector-General of Police, Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail and the Malaysian Government.
Na'imah, 69, her children, Muhammed Amir Zainuddin and Muhammed Amin Zainuddin and their lawyers, Amir Zharif Abdullah and Muhammad Nizamuddin Abdul Hamid, are the plaintiffs, identifying Anwar, Khalid and the government as the first to third defendants.
The plaintiffs seek a declaration that the investigation initiated by the second and third defendants under Section 124B of the Penal Code is unlawful.
They contend that the defendants' actions are unconstitutional, malicious, intended for hidden purposes and an abuse of statutory power.
Additionally, the plaintiffs argue that Section 124B, which aims to prohibit activities undermining parliamentary democracy, is unconstitutional due to its vagueness, overly broad and disproportionate scope.
They state this violates Article 5 (right to personal liberty), Article 8 (equality before the law) and Article 10 (freedom of speech, assembly and association) of the Federal Constitution.
"We seek a declaration that the actions of the second and third defendants in initiating the investigation have violated the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the constitution," they stated.
Lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh, representing the plaintiffs, emphasised that the lawsuit was filed in the public interest to challenge the abuse of power.
"This is also to stop false allegations regarding an alleged 'Zionist conspiracy' to overthrow the government," they said in a media statement.
Na'imah has previously denied any involvement in efforts to overthrow the government, calling the accusations baseless and nonsensical.
She criticised attempts to link her to a Bloomberg report involving Tan Sri Azam Baki, the Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), as irresponsible and damaging to media credibility.
Last week, a police report circulated on social media, alleging that the influential family had appointed a UK-based strategic communications firm to exert pressure on the MACC and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with the assistance of international media.
Earlier reports indicated that five individuals, including four of Daim's children and an 'influential individual,' were alleged to be involved in a plot to overthrow the government.
These allegations emerged after police confirmed an investigation involving "international media agencies and influential individuals," following Bloomberg's report on abuse of power within the MACC, which provoked significant political reactions.
Meanwhile, the MACC stated that four of the late Tun Daim's children - Asnida, Md Wira Dani, Muhammed Amir and Muhammed Ami - are being sought to assist in a high-profile investigation currently underway.