KUALA LUMPUR: Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has denied corruption allegations linked to his tenure at the Economy Ministry, following a recent investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
He said the probe appeared to target him over key government policies implemented during his term, specifically the Silicon Vision Programme and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).
He said the NETR was developed by the ministry but does not involve public funds for project construction while all procurements were under the Finance Ministry.
He said this in a statement released today.
Rafizi said a central NETR policy allows private companies to develop renewable-energy projects and supply green power directly to industry without going through Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).
The policy has accelerated investment in large-scale projects, he said.
Among the companies involved include UEM Lestra, a subsidiary of UEM owned by Khazanah, which plans to invest RM2.5 billion in renewable-energy projects, including a 750 MW facility in Segamat.
Rafizi said the project is entirely private-sector driven, with no government involvement in procurement or contracts.
On the Silicon Vision Programme, he said negotiations went through multiple stages, namely, initial discussions by the Economy Ministry's team with ARM, inter-ministerial committee reviews involving three ministers and senior officials from the Economy Ministry, Finance Ministry, and MITI, as well as direct engagement between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and ARM CEO Rene Haas and ARM's largest shareholder, Masayoshi Son of SoftBank.
"The proposal was presented to Cabinet three times and approved," he said.
He said the Economy Ministry is a planning ministry and does not manage procurement or contracts of this nature.
"This collaboration fell under MITI and was signed by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
"Any payments were processed by MIDA and screened and approved by the Finance Ministry."
Rafizi said the draft agreement was reviewed and approved by the Attorney-General's Chambers before Cabinet approval.
The allegation that the agreement was rushed is illogical because the Cabinet is chaired by the prime minister, he said.
To date, he said, no evidence has been presented showing any misappropriation of public funds.
"There is no evidence that I took money, no evidence of funds entering my accounts, and no financial proof whatsoever.
Most dangerously, these allegations imply that ARM, a semiconductor giant controlling over 90 per cent of the global device-chip market, bribed me, without any evidence presented."
The Pandan member of parliament also claimed coordinated attacks on social media, naming an influencer, for allegedly producing content claiming that he had awarded the UEM Lestra project to a company in which he had a personal interest.
"The facts clearly show that neither the ministry nor I had any authority or involvement in the commercial dealings of private companies," he said.
He said he will present more detailed facts this week, including on the YBM podcast on Friday (Feb 20).
He added that he has given the influencer an opportunity to present the facts to his audience and issue an apology, warning that legal action will follow if he fails to do so.
NST has reached out to MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki for comment.
It was reported that MACC has opened an investigation into an agreement between the Malaysian government and a foreign company estimated to be worth RM1.1 billion.
According to sources, based on the complaints and documents submitted by several parties, MACC also obtained related documents from the Economy Ministry on Feb 13. - NST
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