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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will be taking current Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to court over allegations that Mahathir had enriched his family during his term as prime minister.

Proceeding with legal action

"Today is the last day for Datuk Seri Anwar and his lawyer to respond to a letter from my lawyer asking him to withdraw the slander and apologize for accusing me of misusing power to enrich the family," Mahathir wrote in a Facebook post on Apr. 17.

He had previously sent Anwar a letter of demand on Mar. 27, demanding the prime minister to retract the defamatory statement he made at the PKR Special Congress 2023 on Mar. 18.

During the event, Anwar had said "person who was in power for 22 years and 22 months" had "amassed wealth for him, his family and his children".

Though he did not name anyone, Mahathir said Anwar was clearly referring to him as he had been the prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and 2018 to 2020.

Anwar was initially given seven days to respond, but the deadline was later extended to Apr. 17.

In the Facebook post, the 97-year-old former prime minister said he had ignored many of Anwar's accusations against him for decades, even without proof or evidence when asked.

"I didn't take action (in the past) because I thought it was the act of a man who desperately wanted to be Prime Minister," Mahathir wrote. "But today, when he became Prime Minister, he still continues to slander. So I asked for a recall (of the statement) and if not, I will take legal actions".

Mahathir's lawyer, Muhammad Rafique, later confirmed that they will be proceeding with legal action over the defamatory remark, Malaysia Kini reported.

Anwar ready to face Mahathir in court

Meanwhile, Anwar is ready to face Mahathir in court over claims that Mahathir had enriched his family while in office, his lawyer Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi said, as quoted by Malaysia Kini.

“For your information, we have been instructed by our client to deny all allegations and content in your letter," Alliff wrote.

“In this regard, our client is ready to answer any allegations - if any - in court and not through correspondence if your client wants to proceed with legal action".

On April 7, Anwar said he had no problem providing proof to back up claims he had made about Mahathir allegedly enriching himself and his family.

"I don't want to fight, he (Mahathir) has asked for evidence, so I will give him (evidence). No problem."

Long, complicated history

Anwar and Mahathir have a long, complicated history, beginning when both were in Umno, with Mahathir as prime minister and Anwar as deputy prime minister.

But their relationship soured during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. In 1998, Anwar was stripped of his position and sent to prison over charges of sodomy and corruption.

Anwar became an opposition politician upon his release from prison and openly campaigned against Umno government.

They renewed their relationship in 2018 and teamed up after Mahathir left Umno to form a new party, Bersatu.

Bersatu joined hands with Anwar's Pakatan Harapan coalition, winning the 2018 general election and allowing Mahathir to become prime minister again for 22 months.

However, Mahathir fell out with Anwar again in 2020, leading to Bersatu's withdrawal from Pakatan Harapan. The collapse in government paved the way for Umno to take over once more.

In 2022, Mahathir and Anwar competed in the general election. Anwar's party won the most number of seats and formed a surprise alliance with Umno to form a unity government, with Anwar as prime minister.

Meanwhile, Mahathir lost both his bid to become a Member of Parliament, and his deposit.

Mahathir had openly expressed doubts over Anwar's ability to lead the country since the latter assumed his position as prime minister.

Earlier in March 2023, the former leader criticised Anwar again, claiming the latter’s first 100 days as prime minister had not produced any results.

Top image via Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook and Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad/Facebook.