Alibaba Group executive chairman Jack Ma and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng at the opening of the group’s first South-east Asian office in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur June 18, 2018. — Picture by Hari Anggara

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin has removed his article titled “Jack Ma slaps Pakatan Harapan” after receiving an official notice to cease and desist from China-based Alibaba Group Holding Ltd yesterday.

The letter signed by Albert Liu, the group’s deputy vice-president, had accused Raja Petra of lying and defaming its chairman Jack Ma over the latter’s purported recent meeting with Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and his special officer Tony Pua in Hong Kong.

It then threatened to take legal action against Raja Petra if he did not respond to them by April 1, prompting Raja Petra’s quick response.

“I have taken down that article and promise never to repeat that story,” the controversial blogger wrote.

In the article in question, Raja Petra claimed Chinese billionaire Ma told Lim and Pua that China allegedly no longer trusts Malaysia because the government was said to not honour agreements.

However, the blogger also made additional snide remarks against lawyer-activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Clare Rewcastle-Brown in the new article, referring to the out-of-court settlement between the Sarawak Report editor and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

He also defended scandal-plagued former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, claiming the latter is a victim of the so-called “guilty unless you can prove you are innocent” justice system.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had already called Raja Petra a “liar” over graft allegations in the Penang Undersea Tunnel project.