KUALA LUMPUR – The investigation into Bloomberg over its report on alleged talks about a casino in Forest City is prompted by police reports lodged by private companies, not the government.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the police reports were lodged by law firms representing the companies mentioned in the Bloomberg article.
“The investigation is being carried out accordingly. The government did not lodge any police reports on the matter. They were lodged by the law firms,” he said in a weekly press conference at his ministry here today.
“The government did not issue any directives for authorities to investigate (Bloomberg). However, police reports have been lodged so investigations have to be conducted accordingly.”
Five days ago, Bloomberg’s chief editor was summoned by the police to give a statement on the contentious article.
Berjaya Corporation Bhd’s legal representative filed a police report on April 26, urging an investigation into the dissemination of false statements by an unnamed source regarding the purported Forest City casino discussions.
The company said its executive chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan sought to address concerns arising from factually inaccurate articles published by Bloomberg LP and The Edge Singapore on April 25, 2024.
On May 1, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reiterated there was no truth to Putrajaya receiving a proposal for a casino in Forest City, Johor, and “slanderers” should be sent to Sg Buloh prison.
“It’s so easy to throw slander at their own will… they have no ‘modal’… they alleged ‘Anwar’ for approving a casino to be opened in Johor. What is this? I’ve never heard of this, and nobody ever proposed such a thing.”
Bloomberg’s report claimed Anwar met Tan and the Genting Group’s Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay for preliminary talks on setting up a casino in Forest City to revive the area. – May 8, 2024