Former Malaysian minister Rafizi's ex-aide a 'wanted' man to assist in probe over US$270 million government deal
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said that it was tracking down Chai Jin Shern, also known as James Chai, and had appealed to the public to provide any information on his whereabouts.
A composite image of Malaysia's former economy minister Rafizi Ramli and his ex-aide James Chai. (Photos: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas, LinkedIn/James Chai)
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KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is on the hunt for political analyst James Chai, who was an ex-aide to former economy minister Rafizi Ramli, as a wanted person in a probe over alleged abuse of power, fraud and governance relating to a RM1.1 billion (US$270 million) government deal with British semiconductor giant Arm Holdings.
At a press conference on Wednesday (Mar 4), MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the agency is also seeking to summon a former minister - whom he refused to name - to assist in investigations.
This is on top of the 12 witnesses it has summoned so far from a few ministries and government agencies, including from the Economy Ministry, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI).
“We have obtained the important documents from the relevant agencies and ministries. We are also looking at the Cabinet paper presentation in this matter. We are also calling in other witnesses,” said Azam, adding that a former minister was also summoned as a witness in the case.
Rafizi Ramli was the economy minister while Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz was the investment, trade and industry minister when the deal was signed.
In response to CNA's queries, Rafizi's aide said that the Pandan Member of Parliament had not been served a notice to give a statement to the anti-graft agency.
Last month, Rafizi had said that the deal with Arm Holdings - signed in March last year - was being investigated by the authorities.
Rafizi accused the MACC of conducting a politically motivated probe against him, saying that the investigation was launched in retaliation after his public calls for Azam’s suspension.
Rafizi said the allegations against him revolved around two major government policies - the Silicon Vision Programme and the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) - both of which he claimed went through multiple layers of government approval, including Cabinet endorsement.
The Silicon Vision Programme involved a collaboration between the government and Arm Holdings to create the country’s first semiconductor ships.
Meanwhile, the NETR outlines the country’s energy transition targets up to 2050 and involves major investments in the green industry.
Rafizi had resigned from his ministerial post in May 2025 after failing to defend his deputy presidency in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) internal polls while Tengku Zafrul’s tenure as minister ended in December.
Tengku Zafrul had served for two terms as a senator since 2020. He held the trade minister post throughout his term in the Senate, which is the maximum period allowed.
In a statement issued earlier on Wednesday, the MACC had said it was tracking down Chai Jin Shern, also known as James Chai, and had appealed to the public to provide any information on his whereabouts.
Azam said later during the press conference that they had yet to get a response from Chai who is currently in the United Kingdom.
“In this matter, we won’t let any parties manipulate this issue. We will investigate this issue fairly and professionally. And we hope everyone is patient in waiting for the conclusion of the investigation,” said Azam without revealing further details.
When pressed further, Azam said that Chai was not a witness, but that he was “wanted” by the MACC for now.
“We want to get his statement on his appointment after he left a ministry and is now working with a company that has interests in the project,” said Azam.
Chai served as Rafizi’s special officer at the Economy Ministry. He left the ministry in June after Rafizi resigned. Chai is a political analyst and a law graduate from the University of Oxford. He is also a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Chai rejects claim he is unwilling to cooperate with authorities
In response to queries from CNA, political analyst James Chai issued a statement on Wednesday, rejecting the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) assertion that he is not willing to collaborate with investigations.
He outlined his version of facts and a timeline of events relating to his role in assisting with the proposed collaboration of Arm Limited and the Malaysia government, and rejected the notion that he had misappropriated or personally benefitted from this partnership.
“The MACC issued a public search for me, as though I am a fugitive, and Azam Baki even had a press conference about this,” Chai said in his statement which was also issued to Malaysian media, referring to the agency’s chief.
“He gave the impression that I am hiding like a fugitive. I am not," he added.
He also expressed surprise that the government has not contacted him via WhatsApp, emailed him or messaged him through his social media accounts.
"Resorting to this elaborate public search method is meant to paint me as a fugitive with something to hide, as if I am guilty and running from the authorities. This is excessive and potentially defamatory," said Chai.
Last week, local media reported that a MACC source had said that the economy ministry’s secretary-general was among several witnesses the anti-graft agency would summon in its probe into a RM1.1 billion agreement between the government and a foreign firm.
Free Malaysia Today reported that the source had said the agreement had allegedly been pushed through in haste despite not having the agreement of the Finance Ministry and MITI.
The source also claimed that several individuals were allegedly given senior posts in the foreign company involved after they stopped working with the government.
INVESTIGATION INTO PROPOSED COMPANY TAKEOVER
Separately, Azam said that his agency is also investigating a proposed takeover of construction giant IJM Corp by the diversified property conglomerate Sunway Group.
He said the investigation was among three probe papers involving IJM that had been opened by the MACC.
“We are determining if there are any elements of corruption, abuse of power, and governance. There are three investigations so far.
“We are investigating many elements because the shareholders of IJM are made up of government-linked companies. This is a concern to us because it involves public funds. We want to see if there is any crime, leakages, or violation of governance,” said Azam.
The other probe is with regard to an allegation of bribery involving a project where the MACC had already called in the IJM chairman. The third probe is an investigation conducted by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office regarding money laundering that involves a sum of RM2.5 billion.
“We are collaborating with the UK and we will get more information from them. From our side, we are also giving information to the UK side. As of now there is no conclusion (to the investigation),” said Azam.
Government institutions control roughly about 45 per cent of IJM shares. According to Kenanga Research, the IJM’s main shareholders are the Employees Provident Fund with roughly 20 per cent, state-owned investment company Permodalan Nasional Bhd with roughly 13 per cent and the civil servants' pension fund known as KWAP (Kumpulan Wang Persaraan) holding 9.6 per cent.
On Jan 12, Sunway had announced a conditional voluntary general offer for IJM shares listed on Bursa Malaysia at an offer price of RM3.15 per share - a 14.5 per cent premium over IJM's stock price of RM2.75 per share on that day.
Sunway noted that it intends to finance 90 per cent of the acquisition through a share swap of the company's own shares for IJM stock, with the remainder in cash.
The RM11.1 billion offer is conditional on receiving acceptance of at least 50 per cent plus one share, along with necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals, and is set to close on Apr 6.
The proposed transaction has drawn fire from political and business interests who warn it could set a dangerous precedent: a majority Chinese-controlled company absorbing an entity widely viewed as a proxy for ethnic Malay economic representation.
Additional reporting by Amir Yusof.
