Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has dismissed suggestions of wrongdoing in the RM1.1 billion government deal with British chip design firm Arm Holdings, saying he would already be remanded if there were solid grounds for investigation.
Open to MACC questioning
The Pandan MP told reporters after an Ayuh Malaysia event in Shah Alam today that he would willingly meet the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) if summoned. He described the absence of any call for questioning as odd, suggesting that investigators might still be collecting evidence.
“If there was really something to investigate or prosecute, I would have been remanded a long time ago,” he said.
Rafizi stressed that any probe into alleged breaches of rules, misleading the Cabinet, or negligence would require concrete evidence first before he could be expected to respond.
Probe into high-profile deal
MACC recently opened an investigation into possible misconduct related to the RM1.1 billion deal signed with Arm Holdings in March last year. The matter involves two key government initiatives – the Silicon Vision Programme, a partnership with Arm to develop Malaysia’s first semiconductor chips, and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which sets out the country’s energy transition goals until 2050.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed that statements had been recorded from 12 witnesses across various government agencies, including a former minister. He did not specify whether Rafizi was among them.
An aide to Rafizi previously stated that the former minister had not yet been called by the anti-graft body.
Political motivation alleged
Rafizi has accused MACC of carrying out a politically motivated investigation against him. He pointed out that both the Silicon Vision Programme and NETR underwent multiple layers of government scrutiny and received Cabinet endorsement.
Meanwhile, MACC has issued a public notice requesting assistance from James Chai, a former aide to Rafizi at the economy ministry. Chai, who is now based in the United Kingdom, has been asked to help with the probe.
